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Dev Toolsdocker-ready1-click-deployOpen-Core🟢 Lightweight · ~256MB

Grafana: Open-Core alternative to Datadog in 2026

Grafana visualizes metrics, logs and traces from almost any data source in highly customizable dashboards, the de facto standard for self-hosted observability versus Datadog.

Core is open source, but advanced features or enterprise support may be behind a paid tier — check the license.

Alternative to Datadog
License AGPL-3.077.3k starsWebsite Try DemoGitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — v13.2.4 · today

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Grafana vs. Datadog

Pros

  • Dashboards connected to dozens of different data sources, with multichannel alerting

Things to consider

  • You need Prometheus/Loki/Tempo separately for data collection

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Datadog.
  • On your own VPS: the core is free to self-host on your own server — no more monthly SaaS fee, though some advanced features stay behind a paid plan.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  grafana:
    image: grafana/grafana:13.0-slim
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_PASSWORD=change-me
    volumes:
      - grafana_data:/var/lib/grafana
volumes:
  grafana_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=grafana" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit today.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
AGPL-3.0
Category
Dev Tools
Replaces
Datadog
Tech stack
GoReact

Under the hood

Database

SQLite / PostgreSQL / MySQL (app DB)

Language

Go

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Dashboards connected to dozens of data sources
  • Multichannel alerting
  • Logs and traces explorer

Preview

Grafana interface preview

Public image provided by Grafana on its own website.

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy