Uptrace differentiates from other APM platforms by storing every trace rather than sampling a percentage to control storage costs. The ClickHouse columnar database backend provides the storage efficiency and query performance needed to retain 100% of traces at production scale, enabling investigation of any specific request without worrying about whether it was sampled. This complete data retention is particularly valuable for debugging intermittent issues that sampling-based platforms may miss entirely.
The OpenTelemetry-native architecture accepts traces, metrics, and logs through standard OTLP endpoints. Uptrace provides a unified interface for exploring all three telemetry types with correlated views that connect slow traces to their associated metrics anomalies and relevant log entries. The query interface supports complex filtering, grouping, and aggregation across high-cardinality attributes.
Self-hosting under the Business Source License with ClickHouse as the storage backend provides cost-effective observability for organizations that can operate their own infrastructure. The managed Uptrace Cloud service offers per-event pricing that is significantly lower than competing APM platforms, making comprehensive observability affordable for teams with moderate budgets. With over 3,200 GitHub stars, Uptrace serves teams that want OpenTelemetry-native APM without the cost of enterprise platforms.