SigNoz
SigNoz — open-source APM with metrics, traces, and logs in one platform.
Stack Components
Why
Self-hosted, OpenTelemetry-native, no vendor lock-in, ClickHouse for fast queries. OpenTelemetry became the CNCF instrumentation standard in 2024, used by 70%+ of cloud-native orgs.
Sentry and Datadog lead error tracking with 30k+ paying customers each.
When
Use for self-hosted full-stack observability. Avoid for managed SaaS preference.
How
Example
Common Problems
- ⚠ClickHouse resource usage — tune memory limits
- ⚠OTel collector config — verify pipeline
- ⚠Configuration drift between environments — use infrastructure-as-code (Terraform/Pulumi) to keep dev/staging/prod identical
Best Practices
- ✓Use tail sampling to reduce storage
- ✓Create custom dashboards for SLIs
- ✓Set up health checks and graceful shutdown — handle SIGTERM to drain in-flight requests before exit
FAQ
What is SigNoz and what projects is it for?
SigNoz — open-source APM with metrics, traces, and logs in one platform. It pairs layered technologies for end-to-end type safety and out-of-the-box deploys, fitting everything from MVPs to production SaaS.
How do I spin up a working demo with SigNoz in 10 minutes?
Two steps: (1) Deploy SigNoz via Docker; (2) Configure OTel collector. Get the local dev server running, then wire one real data source to verify the end-to-end loop.
What is the most common pitfall with SigNoz and how do I avoid it?
The most common pitfall is: ClickHouse resource usage — tune memory limits. Avoid it by adding the matching checklist to your PR template and running type-check + lint + unit tests in CI — three gates before merge.
What are the best practices for SigNoz?
Best practices for SigNoz include: Use tail sampling to reduce storage; Create custom dashboards for SLIs; Set up health checks and graceful shutdown — handle SIGTERM to drain in-flight requests before exit. The first one — "Use tail sampling to reduce storage" — should be set up at project init to avoid costly rework later.
When should I NOT choose SigNoz?
Pick something else in three cases: (1) the team has zero experience with the core framework and the deadline is tight (learning-curve risk); (2) it's a pure content/marketing site (Astro is lighter); (3) you need very high throughput (>10k RPS) or strict-consistency microservices (Go/Rust). SigNoz shines for mid-to-high complexity full-stack and API work — don't over-engineer simple static pages with it.