head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs g3log
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars, 6,632 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. g3log has 966 stars, 280 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 2,487% (24,988 vs 966 stars). Apache SkyWalking is written in Java under Apache-2.0; g3log is written in C++ under Unlicense. Apache SkyWalking has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, g3log 29%. Apache SkyWalking 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 | g3log | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 966 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Unlicense |
| Written in | Java | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 280 |
| 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 g3log if
- You want the g3log feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Unlicense license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and g3log 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 g3log
Scanning Update : Contents introduction detailed information Configure & Build API description Custom log formatting Welcome to g3log Use kjellkod.github.io/g3log/ for best reading / searching / navigating of g3log's documentation G3log is an asynchronous logger with three main features: 1. Intuitive LOG(...) API 2. Design by contract CHECK(...) functionality 3. Fatal crash handling for graceful shutdown of the logged process without loosing any log details up to the point of the crash. The super quick introduction to g3log can be seen in the steps 1 9 below. For more in depth information please see the full…
read the full g3log overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or g3log more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars and g3log has 966. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache SkyWalking and g3log free?
Both are open source. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and g3log under Unlicense. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache SkyWalking and g3log?
Apache SkyWalking is written in Java and g3log in C++. 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 g3log?
Choose Apache SkyWalking if you want the larger community (24,988 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose g3log if its feature set, stack or Unlicense licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.