What is the main difference between Prometheus and VictoriaMetrics?

Prometheus and VictoriaMetrics are both infrastructure monitoring tools but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Prometheus or VictoriaMetrics?

The choice between Prometheus and VictoriaMetrics depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Prometheus to VictoriaMetrics?

Migration between Prometheus and VictoriaMetrics is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Prometheus vs VictoriaMetrics

Learn how Prometheus and VictoriaMetrics differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these infrastructure monitoring tools is best for you.

Prometheus

Pull-based monitoring system with a multi-dimensional data model, PromQL query language, built-in alerting, and a time series database built for cloud native environments.

Visit Prometheus Read more

66,157stars+386(+0.6%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
16 hours ago
Repository age
14 years
Version
v3.14.0
License
Apache-2.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
prometheus/prometheus

VictoriaMetrics

Time series database and monitoring platform compatible with Prometheus, handling billions of metrics with lower resource usage than most alternatives.

Visit VictoriaMetrics Read more

17,751stars+172(+1%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
14 hours ago
Repository age
8 years
Version
v1.152.0
License
Apache-2.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
victoriametrics/victoriametrics

Detailed Comparison

Both Prometheus and VictoriaMetrics have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Prometheus wins

Community & Popularity

Prometheus significantly outpaces VictoriaMetrics in community adoption with 66,157 stars compared to 17,751 stars on GitHub. This 3.7x difference suggests Prometheus has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Prometheus has 10,848 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

VictoriaMetrics wins

Growth Momentum

VictoriaMetrics is growing faster, adding 172 stars in the last 30 days (+1%) against adding 386 stars for Prometheus (+0.6%). VictoriaMetrics is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Prometheus last updated 16 hours ago and VictoriaMetrics 14 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, Bash, Typescript, JSX, SCSS, Golang. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Prometheus uses CSS while VictoriaMetrics leverages Perl.

Prometheus wins

Project Maturity

Prometheus has been in development longer, starting 14 years ago, compared to VictoriaMetrics which began 8 years ago. This 5.9-year head start suggests Prometheus may have more mature features and established processes.

Comparable