# certificates vs Apache SkyWalking

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | certificates | Apache SkyWalking |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 76/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 2 in PKI | #2 of 9 in Application Performance Monitoring |
| GitHub stars | 9 022 | 24 978 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +119 ✓ | +4 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 3 |
| Latest release | v0.30.2 · 23 Mar 2026 | v11.0.0 · 28 Aug 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

Apache SkyWalking scores 76/100 against 72/100 for certificates, so it is the safer default.

If you want the quickest setup, certificates is easier to run; Apache SkyWalking needs more configuration.

certificates is growing faster right now (+119 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [certificates](https://selfhost.directory/project/certificates) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/certificates.md)
- [Apache SkyWalking](https://selfhost.directory/project/skywalking) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/skywalking.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/certificates-vs-skywalking