head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs logchef
Apache SkyWalking has 24,958 GitHub stars, 6,633 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. logchef has 899 stars, 56 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 2,676% (24,958 vs 899 stars). Apache SkyWalking is written in Java under Apache-2.0; logchef is written in Go under AGPL-3.0. Apache SkyWalking has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, logchef 6%. 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 | logchef | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 899 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Java | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 56 |
| 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 logchef if
- You want the logchef feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and logchef 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 logchef
Logchef is a lightweight, self hosted log analytics and observability interface for ClickHouse and VictoriaLogs, shipped as a single Go binary under the AGPL 3.0 licence, intended for teams that want a strong query and control plane on top of the log backends they already run.
read the full logchef overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or logchef more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,958 GitHub stars and logchef has 899. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache SkyWalking and logchef free?
Both are open source. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and logchef under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache SkyWalking and logchef?
Apache SkyWalking is written in Java and logchef in Go. 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 logchef?
Choose Apache SkyWalking if you want the larger community (24,958 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose logchef if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.