VictoriaMetrics

Open source alternative to Grafana Cloud, Datadog, Dynatrace and Amazon Timestream

17.9K stars
Apache-2.0
Active this week
Last commit 1 day ago

Last verified Oct 20, 2026

VictoriaMetrics is a high-performance, self-hosted time series database compatible with Prometheus metrics for monitoring at scale. Apache-2.0 licensed; drop-in replacement for Prometheus remote storage.

Visit website GitHub17.9K Deploy on Hostinger

Read the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs and the FAQ

who it's for

Who VictoriaMetrics is for#

SRE teams extending Prometheus retention

Use VictoriaMetrics when Prometheus data needs longer retention and faster queries without sending all metrics to a SaaS vendor.

Skip if:

Skip if your current Prometheus server is small, simple, and already meets retention needs.

Platform teams monitoring Kubernetes fleets

VictoriaMetrics can handle high-cardinality metrics from many services while staying compatible with Grafana-style workflows.

Skip if:

Skip if your organization wants a fully managed observability suite with no database operations.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Prometheus is excellent for scraping and short-term monitoring, but production metrics can become expensive and slow as retention windows, label cardinality, and Kubernetes fleets grow. Teams add Thanos, Cortex, or managed services, then inherit more moving parts or vendor pricing.

The pain is storing enough telemetry to debug incidents later without turning metrics infrastructure into its own large operations project.

how VictoriaMetrics solves it

How it solves it#

Prometheus-compatible ingestion

Accepts Prometheus remote write and supports PromQL-compatible query workflows, reducing migration work for existing monitoring stacks.

Single-node and cluster modes

Runs as a simpler single binary for smaller deployments or as clustered components for larger metrics volumes.

Storage-efficient time series engine

Focuses on high ingestion performance and compression so teams can retain more metrics at lower infrastructure cost.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

Practical Prometheus scaling pathVictoriaMetrics gives teams a way to keep Prometheus-style metrics while improving retention and storage economics.
Apache-2.0 licensingThe core project is permissively licensed, which helps teams standardize on it without network-copyleft concerns.

Trade-offs

-Enterprise features may sit outside the coreSome advanced needs, such as certain enterprise controls, may require the commercial edition or additional components.

versus alternatives

VictoriaMetrics vs alternatives#

VictoriaMetrics vs Datadog

VictoriaMetrics and Datadog both help teams work with operational metrics, but they sit at different layers. VictoriaMetrics is a self-hosted time series database and metrics backend; Datadog is a managed observability suite.

VictoriaMetrics is better when high-volume metrics storage cost and Prometheus compatibility are the main issues. Datadog is still better when a team wants managed dashboards, integrations, incident workflows, and vendor support in one platform.

tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages: GoTypeScript
Infrastructure: Kubernetes

frequently asked

FAQ#

Is VictoriaMetrics open source?

Yes. VictoriaMetrics is open source under the Apache-2.0 license.

Can VictoriaMetrics replace Prometheus?

VictoriaMetrics can replace parts of a Prometheus metrics storage stack and can ingest Prometheus remote write data. Many teams still keep Prometheus for scraping.

How does VictoriaMetrics compare to Datadog?

VictoriaMetrics is a self-hosted time series database and monitoring backend. Datadog is a proprietary managed observability platform with broader hosted features.

also worth a look

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by category

Open source tools in these categories#

Hostinger

Run VictoriaMetrics on your own server

Self-host VictoriaMetrics on a Hostinger VPS.

Deploy on Hostinger

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Who VictoriaMetrics is for#