head to head · open source
zipkin vs elastdocker
zipkin has 17,475 GitHub stars, 3,092 forks, 175 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. elastdocker has 2,068 stars, 338 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. zipkin leads on adoption by 745% (17,475 vs 2,068 stars). zipkin is written in Java under Apache-2.0; elastdocker is written in Dockerfile under MIT. zipkin has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, elastdocker 16%. elastdocker 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
| zipkin | elastdocker | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 2.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | Dockerfile |
| Last push | 2026-08-06 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 338 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick zipkin if
- You weight community size — 17K 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 elastdocker if
- You want the elastdocker feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Dockerfile
- You evaluated both and elastdocker fits your workflow better
About zipkin
zipkin Zipkin is a distributed tracing system. It helps gather timing data needed to troubleshoot latency problems in service architectures. Features include both the collection and lookup of this data. If you have a trace ID in a log file, you can jump directly to it. Otherwise, you can query based on attributes such as service, operation name, tags and duration. Some interesting data will be summarized for you, such as the percentage of time spent in a service, and whether operations failed. The Zipkin UI also presents a dependency diagram showing how many traced requests went through each application. This…
read the full zipkin overview →
About elastdocker
Elast ic Stack on Docker Preconfigured Security, Tools, and Self Monitoring Configured to be ready to be used for Log, Metrics, APM, Alerting, Machine Learning, and Security (SIEM) usecases. Introduction Elastic Stack ( ELK ) Docker Composition, preconfigured with Security , Monitoring , and Tools ; Up with a Single Command. Suitable for Demoing, MVPs and small production deployments. Stack Version: 9.4.2 🎉 Based on Official Elastic Docker Images You can change Elastic Stack version by setting ELK VERSION in .env file and rebuild your images. Any version = 9.0.0 is compatible with this template. ⚠️ Upgrading…
read the full elastdocker overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is zipkin or elastdocker more popular?
zipkin has 17,475 GitHub stars and elastdocker has 2,068. zipkin has the larger community by that measure.
Are zipkin and elastdocker free?
Both are open source. zipkin is licensed under Apache-2.0 and elastdocker under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between zipkin and elastdocker?
zipkin is written in Java and elastdocker in Dockerfile. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, zipkin or elastdocker?
Choose zipkin if you want the larger community (17,475 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose elastdocker if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.