Apache SkyWalking vs VictoriaMetrics
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
VictoriaMetrics
Fast, cost-effective time series database and monitoring solution
| Feature | Apache SkyWalking | VictoriaMetrics |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 24,962 | ★ 17,760 |
| First released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Replaces | New Relic, Datadog | Datadog, Grafana Cloud |
What are Apache SkyWalking and VictoriaMetrics?
Apache SkyWalking
Apache SkyWalking is an APM and observability platform for distributed systems, especially microservices and cloud-native architectures. It provides tracing, metrics, logging, and service topology analysis.
- Distributed tracing and metrics
- Service topology maps
- eBPF and OTel integration
- Alerting engine
VictoriaMetrics
VictoriaMetrics is a fast, cost-effective, and scalable monitoring solution and time series database. It is a drop-in replacement for Prometheus storage with lower resource usage and a high-performance query engine.
- Low memory footprint
- MetricsQL query language
- Single-binary or cluster mode
- Prometheus-compatible
Apache SkyWalking vs VictoriaMetrics: key differences
Apache SkyWalking is written in Java, while VictoriaMetrics is built with Go. VictoriaMetrics is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Apache SkyWalking. Apache SkyWalking is the more established project (first released 2015), while VictoriaMetrics arrived in 2018.
Why pick each one
Choose Apache SkyWalking if…
- Full observability suite
- Strong Apache governance
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Storage backend required
Choose VictoriaMetrics if…
- Excellent compression and speed
- Easy single-binary deployment
Watch out for
- MetricsQL differs slightly from PromQL
- Smaller ecosystem than Prometheus
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or VictoriaMetrics better?
Neither is universally better. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community, while VictoriaMetrics is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Apache SkyWalking and VictoriaMetrics free and open-source?
Yes. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and VictoriaMetrics under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache SkyWalking and VictoriaMetrics with Docker?
Apache SkyWalking: yes. VictoriaMetrics: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Apache SkyWalking or VictoriaMetrics?
VictoriaMetrics has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Apache SkyWalking. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.