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.
Not the right match-up?
Apache SkyWalking
APM and observability for cloud-native architectures
VS
VictoriaMetrics
Fast, cost-effective time series database and monitoring solution
| Feature | Apache SkyWalking | VictoriaMetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 24,915 | ★ 17,488 |
| First released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Replaces | New Relic, Datadog | Datadog, Grafana Cloud |
Why pick each one
Choose Apache SkyWalking if…
- Full observability suite
- Strong Apache governance
Choose VictoriaMetrics if…
- Excellent compression and speed
- Easy single-binary deployment
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.