# Apache SkyWalking vs Terraforming Mars

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

| | Apache SkyWalking | Terraforming Mars |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 ✓ | 62/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 9 in Application Performance Monitoring | #4 of 14 in Gaming |
| GitHub stars | 24 978 ✓ | 961 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +4 | +9 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v11.0.0 · 28 Aug 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Java | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Apache SkyWalking scores 76/100 against 62/100 for Terraforming Mars, so it is the safer default.

Apache SkyWalking ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Terraforming Mars.

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

Terraforming Mars is growing faster right now (+9 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Apache SkyWalking](https://selfhost.directory/project/skywalking) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/skywalking.md)
- [Terraforming Mars](https://selfhost.directory/project/terraforming-mars) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/terraforming-mars.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/skywalking-vs-terraforming-mars