head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs openwolf
Apache SkyWalking has 24,958 GitHub stars, 6,633 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. openwolf has 2,351 stars, 212 forks, 56 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 962% (24,958 vs 2,351 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 | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-15 |
| 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 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 openwolf
OpenWolf is an open source TypeScript tool that keeps portable project memory for coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode and measures token usage from harness transcripts, aimed at developers who lose context between sessions or across agents.
read the full openwolf overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or openwolf more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,958 GitHub stars and openwolf has 2,351. 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 (24,958 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.