OpenObserve
By OpenObserve
OpenObserve is an open-source observability platform designed for organizations seeking unified monitoring of logs, metrics, traces, RUM, session replay, and error tracking.
Publisher review
OpenObserve is an open-source observability platform designed for organizations seeking unified monitoring of logs, metrics, traces, RUM, session replay, and error tracking. It caters to enterprises, startups, and DevOps teams looking for cost-effective, scalable, and vendor-neutral solutions. The platform supports OpenTelemetry and SQL/PromQL, making it adaptable to various monitoring needs.
OpenObserve is particularly appealing to those migrating from expensive SaaS solutions like Datadog, as it offers significant cost savings without compromising on functionality. Its self-hosted option and efficient storage options (local disk, S3, MinIO, GCS, Azure Blob Storage) provide flexibility for organizations with specific data residency or infrastructure requirements. OpenObserve’s transparent development process, with every commit public, ensures trust and community-driven innovation.
The platform is SOC2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified, making it suitable for enterprises with stringent security and compliance needs. OpenObserve’s pricing model is straightforward, with no per-host or custom metrics fees, and it includes unlimited users, dashboards, and alerts across all plans. Its AI-powered features, such as incident management and AI SRE agent, add advanced capabilities for enterprises.
OpenObserve’s ability to cut observability costs by up to 4x compared to Datadog makes it a compelling choice for cost-conscious organizations. However, its default retention periods (15 months for metrics, 30 days for non-metrics) may require additional investment for extended data retention. The platform’s reliance on community support for open-source deployments may also pose challenges for enterprises needing dedicated assistance. Despite these trade-offs, OpenObserve’s combination of cost efficiency, scalability, and open standards positions it as a strong contender in the observability market.
How it works
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Unified observability
Combines logs, metrics, traces, RUM, session replay, and error tracking in one platform.
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Cost-effective ingestion
Charges $0.50 per GB for ingestion, significantly lower than competitors.
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Efficient querying
Costs $0.01 per GB for queries, enabling affordable data analysis.
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Flexible storage
Supports local disk, S3, MinIO, GCS, and Azure Blob Storage for long-term data retention.
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OpenTelemetry support
Integrates with OpenTelemetry for standardized observability data collection.
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AI-powered features
Includes incident management, AI SRE agent, and AI assistant for advanced insights.
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Enterprise security
Certified SOC2 Type II and ISO 27001, ensuring compliance with enterprise security standards.
Strengths and trade-offs
Strengths
- Offers 140x lower storage costs compared to typical SaaS APM solutions.
- Supports OpenTelemetry and SQL/PromQL for standardized and flexible querying.
- Includes AI-powered features like incident management and AI SRE agent at no extra cost.
- Provides a self-hosted option with efficient storage choices, including S3 and Azure Blob Storage.
Trade-offs
- Default retention periods are limited to 15 months for metrics and 30 days for non-metrics.
- Community support for open-source deployments may not meet enterprise needs.
- Additional retention for non-metrics data costs $0.02 per GB per 30-day period.
- AI-powered features are in preview and may incur additional costs post-launch.
Pricing context
Cloud: Professional plan costs $0.50 per GB ingestion, $0.01 per GB querying. Enterprise plan includes additional retention, pipelines, SSO, RBAC, and AI-powered features. Self-hosted: Free forever for open-source edition.
Getting started with OpenObserve
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Sign up
Create an account on OpenObserve’s cloud platform or download the self-hosted version from the official repository.
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Connect data
Integrate your application or infrastructure using OpenTelemetry or supported SDKs to send logs, metrics, and traces.
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Configure storage
Set up storage options like S3, MinIO, or local disk for long-term data retention based on your infrastructure needs.
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Create dashboards
Use SQL or PromQL to query data and build custom dashboards for monitoring key metrics and logs.
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Set alerts
Define alert rules to notify your team of critical issues or anomalies detected in your observability data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OpenObserve used for?
OpenObserve is an open-source observability platform that unifies logs, metrics, traces, RUM, session replay, and error tracking. It helps DevOps teams monitor applications cost-effectively with OpenTelemetry support and flexible storage options. Enterprises use it to replace expensive SaaS solutions while maintaining functionality.
How much does OpenObserve cost compared to Datadog?
OpenObserve costs $0.50 per GB for ingestion and $0.01 per GB for queries, claiming up to 4x savings over Datadog. Unlike Datadog's per-host pricing, OpenObserve charges only for data volume with unlimited users and dashboards across all plans.
Can OpenObserve be self-hosted?
Yes, OpenObserve offers a free forever open-source edition for self-hosting. It supports multiple storage backends including local disk, S3, MinIO, GCS, and Azure Blob Storage. This flexibility suits organizations with specific data residency or infrastructure requirements.
Does OpenObserve support OpenTelemetry?
OpenObserve fully supports OpenTelemetry for standardized observability data collection. It also offers SQL and PromQL querying capabilities. This makes it compatible with existing monitoring setups and simplifies migration from other platforms using OpenTelemetry instrumentation.
Is OpenObserve secure for enterprise use?
OpenObserve is SOC2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified, meeting enterprise security standards. Its transparent development process with public commits builds trust. The platform includes RBAC, SSO in enterprise plans, and supports secure storage options like encrypted cloud buckets.
What are OpenObserve's limitations?
Default retention is 15 months for metrics and 30 days for non-metrics, with extended retention costing extra. Open-source deployments rely on community support. Some AI features are in preview and may incur future costs. These trade-offs balance against its cost savings and flexibility.
Alternatives
How OpenObserve compares
Direct head-to-head against 2 competitors. Picked by 7wData.
OpenObserve
- Pricing
- Cloud: Professional plan costs $0.50 per GB ingestion, $0.01 per GB querying. Enterprise plan includes additional retention, pipelines, SSO, RBAC, and AI-powered features. Self-hosted: Free forever for open-source edition.
- Target
- OpenObserve is an open-source observability platform designed for organizations seeking unified monitoring of logs, metrics, traces, RUM, session replay, and error tracking.
- Strength
- Offers 140x lower storage costs compared to typical SaaS APM solutions.
- Watch for
- Default retention periods are limited to 15 months for metrics and 30 days for non-metrics.
Grafana Labs
- Pricing
- Free OSS; Grafana Cloud starts at $0 (free tier), paid plans usage-based
- Target
- Teams with existing Prometheus/Loki/Tempo stacks needing visualization
- Deployment
- Single binary or cloud service
- Strength
- Strong visualization layer with extensive plugin ecosystem
- Watch for
- Requires external data sources; complex setup for full observability
Coralogix
- Pricing
- Custom/Contact sales
- Target
- Enterprise teams needing advanced log analytics
- Deployment
- Cloud or self-hosted
- Strength
- AI-driven insights and anomaly detection
- Watch for
- Complex pricing tiers; recent acquisition may impact roadmap
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Sources
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