head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs gloc
Apache SkyWalking has 24,958 GitHub stars, 6,633 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. gloc has 653 stars, 46 forks, 10 open issues and last shipped 11 months ago. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 3,722% (24,958 vs 653 stars). Apache SkyWalking is written in Java under Apache-2.0; gloc is written in TypeScript under GPL-2.0. Apache SkyWalking has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, gloc 7%. 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 (metrics), 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 | gloc | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 653 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2025-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 46 |
| 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 gloc if
- You want the gloc feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and gloc fits your workflow better
About Apache SkyWalking
Apache SkyWalking is an open source application performance monitoring (APM) system for distributed systems in cloud native architectures, built for teams that run microservices across Kubernetes and container based environments.
read the full Apache SkyWalking overview →
About gloc
GLOC, short for GitHub Lines of Code Counter, is a free GPL 2.0 licensed TypeScript browser extension for Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and Edge that overlays approximate lines of code totals onto GitHub pages, aimed at developers and teams who want a quick size signal for a repository without cloning it or running a local counter.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or gloc more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,958 GitHub stars and gloc has 653. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache SkyWalking and gloc free?
Both are open source. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and gloc under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache SkyWalking and gloc?
Apache SkyWalking is written in Java and gloc in TypeScript. 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 gloc?
Choose Apache SkyWalking if you want the larger community (24,958 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose gloc if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.