head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs logtape
Apache SkyWalking has 24,958 GitHub stars, 6,633 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. logtape has 1,999 stars, 55 forks, 12 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 1,149% (24,958 vs 1,999 stars). Apache SkyWalking is written in Java under Apache-2.0; logtape is written in TypeScript under MIT. Apache SkyWalking has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, logtape 3%. logtape 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 | logtape | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 55 |
| 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 logtape if
- You want the logtape feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and logtape 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 logtape
LogTape is a zero dependency logging library for JavaScript and TypeScript that runs unchanged across Deno, Node.js, Bun, browsers, and edge functions, and it is designed first for library authors who need to emit logs without imposing configuration on the applications that install them.
read the full logtape overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or logtape more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,958 GitHub stars and logtape has 1,999. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache SkyWalking and logtape free?
Both are open source. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and logtape under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache SkyWalking and logtape?
Apache SkyWalking is written in Java and logtape 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 logtape?
Choose Apache SkyWalking if you want the larger community (24,958 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose logtape if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.