What it does
OpenObserve is a cloud-native observability platform that brings logs, metrics, traces, and profiles into one service. The official docs describe both a managed Cloud option and self-hosted installation, with data ingestion through OpenTelemetry Collector, Prometheus, agents, HTTP APIs, or application code.
Choose a deployment and connect a data source
The getting-started guide offers OpenObserve Cloud or a self-hosted installation. For Cloud, the walkthrough signs in, opens Data Sources, and loads sample data; for application telemetry, the ingestion guide covers log forwarders, HTTP APIs, Prometheus metrics, and OpenTelemetry traces. The first useful check is to confirm that the chosen source is sending data into the expected stream.
The managed Cloud page lists a 14-day trial, then $0.50 per GB ingested and $0.01 per GB queried, billed monthly. It lists 15 months of included metrics retention and 30 days for non-metrics data. Those metered rates make volume and query behavior part of the design; the self-hosted software is separately available under AGPLv3. Enterprise terms are custom and should not be inferred from the Cloud rates.
Strengths
- Combines logs, metrics, traces, and profiles within a single observability platform.
- Supports Cloud and self-hosted setup paths and documents ingestion through OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, agents, and HTTP APIs.
- The Cloud pricing page exposes ingest/query rates and included retention periods.
Watch out for
- Teams must configure data sources or collectors before the platform can show application telemetry.
- Managed Cloud costs vary with ingested and queried data volume; retention and enterprise requirements need separate review.
Best for
- Teams looking for one service to explore logs, metrics, traces, and profiles.
- Projects that can choose between a managed Cloud deployment and operating the AGPL-licensed software themselves.
Sources
- OpenObserve: Open Source Observability Platform (Oct 25, 2026)
- Introduction | OpenObserve (Oct 25, 2026)
- Getting Started with OpenObserve - Cloud & Self-Hosted Setup (Oct 25, 2026)
- Data Ingestion Guide - Logs, Metrics, Traces, and Profiles (Oct 25, 2026)
- OpenObserve Pricing | Pay per GB, No Per-Host or Seat Fees (Oct 25, 2026)
- LICENSE | openobserve/openobserve (Oct 25, 2026)