OpenObserve vs OpenSearch
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
OpenObserve
Open-source observability platform for logs, metrics and traces
VS
OpenSearch
Search and observability suite with logs and dashboards
| Feature | OpenObserve | OpenSearch |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Monitoring & Status |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 20,592 | ★ 13,480 |
| First released | 2023 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Datadog, Elasticsearch | Elasticsearch, Splunk |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenObserve if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 20.6k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenObserve or OpenSearch better?
OpenObserve is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenSearch if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OpenObserve and OpenSearch free and open-source?
Yes. OpenObserve is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and OpenSearch under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenObserve and OpenSearch with Docker?
OpenObserve: yes. OpenSearch: yes.