head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs Cloudlog
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars, 6,632 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Cloudlog has 576 stars, 212 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 4,238% (24,988 vs 576 stars). Apache SkyWalking is written in Java under Apache-2.0; Cloudlog is written in PHP under MIT. Apache SkyWalking has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, Cloudlog 37%. Cloudlog was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (logging), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Apache SkyWalking | Cloudlog | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 576 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 212 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Apache SkyWalking if
- You weight community size — 25K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Cloudlog if
- You want the Cloudlog feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and Cloudlog fits your workflow better
About Apache SkyWalking
Apache SkyWalking ========== SkyWalking : an APM (Application Performance Monitoring) system, especially designed for microservices, cloud native and container based architectures. Abstract SkyWalking is an open source APM system that provides monitoring, tracing and diagnosing capabilities for distributed systems in Cloud Native architectures. Distributed Tracing End to end distributed tracing. Service topology analysis, service centric observability and APIs dashboards. Agents for your stack Java, .Net Core, PHP, NodeJS, Golang, LUA, Rust, C++, Client JavaScript and Python agents with active development and…
read the full Apache SkyWalking overview →
About Cloudlog
Cloudlog Important: Only accepting PRs on the "dev" branch. Cloudlog is a self hosted PHP application that allows you to log your amateur radio contacts anywhere. All you need is a web browser and active internet connection. While Cloudlog as started by Peter Goodhall, MM9SQL, although since has received a lot of community code contributions. If you would like to contribute to Cloudlog please see the Contributing section below. Website: Requirements Linux based Operating System Apache (Nginx should work) PHP Version 7.4 (PHP 8.2 works) MySQL (MySQL 5.7 or higher) Notes If you want to log microwave QSOs you will…
read the full Cloudlog overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or Cloudlog more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars and Cloudlog has 576. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache SkyWalking and Cloudlog free?
Both are open source. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Cloudlog under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache SkyWalking and Cloudlog?
Apache SkyWalking is written in Java and Cloudlog in PHP. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Apache SkyWalking or Cloudlog?
Choose Apache SkyWalking if you want the larger community (24,988 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Cloudlog if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.