head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs openwolf
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars, 6,632 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. openwolf has 2,401 stars, 212 forks, 56 open issues and last shipped 17 days ago. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 941% (24,988 vs 2,401 stars). Apache SkyWalking is written in Java under Apache-2.0; openwolf is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Apache SkyWalking has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, openwolf 9%. 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 (observability), 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 | openwolf | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-10-19 |
| 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 openwolf if
- You want the openwolf feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and openwolf 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 openwolf
OpenWolf Keep project memory across your coding agents. OpenWolf keeps task context, project maps and known fixes in one local folder. Help Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode continue saved work and find relevant code. Reduce repeated context and review recorded token usage by agent and model. Memory and indexing run locally without extra model calls. Hooks: Claude Code, Codex CLI · Plugin: OpenCode · Compatible hooks: Grok Build · Context only: Cursor, Gemini CLI, Antigravity What it does A coding session produces useful context: the task objective, files changed, failed tests and the next action. That information…
read the full openwolf overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or openwolf more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars and openwolf has 2,401. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache SkyWalking and openwolf free?
Both are open source. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and openwolf under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache SkyWalking and openwolf?
Apache SkyWalking is written in Java and openwolf 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 openwolf?
Choose Apache SkyWalking if you want the larger community (24,988 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose openwolf if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.