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Jaeger

jaegertracing.io

Free plan WebWindowsmacOSLinuxAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.0 #11 of 32 in Distributed Tracing Tools

What it is

Jaeger is a free, open-source distributed tracing platform for monitoring complex systems and investigating performance problems. It helps teams locate bottlenecks, examine root causes, and map dependencies between services. Jaeger receives OpenTelemetry Protocol data and accepts Zipkin spans over HTTP in Thrift, JSON v1/v2, and Protobuf formats. Its UI includes System Architecture and Deep Dependency Graph views, while Service Performance Monitoring turns traces into aggregate metrics and time-series charts. Sampling supports head-based configurations, including centralized static or adaptive settings, and tail-based sampling. Cassandra, Elasticsearch, and OpenSearch are supported distributed storage backends; ClickHouse is experimental behind a feature gate. Jaeger v2 ships as binaries and container images, with an all-in-one mode using transient in-memory storage. It is self-hosted, so infrastructure determines capacity and scale. Jaeger v1 reached end of life on December 31, 2025.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Jaeger is an open-source distributed tracing platform for monitoring and troubleshooting workflows in complex distributed systems.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Deployment
Jaeger v2 is available as executable binaries and container images, and the all-in-one setup runs collector and query components in one process with transient in-memory storage.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Security
Jaeger documents TLS and mutual TLS support for several component connections, plus bearer-token authentication between browser and UI.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Founded
2016Read 23 Sep 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Artifact verification
The download page says binary releases include SHA-256 checksum files and cryptographic signatures.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Community support
The project directs users to CNCF Slack, GitHub issues and discussions, and Stack Overflow for contact and help.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Notable lifecycle limit
Jaeger v1 reached end of life on December 31, 2025 and no longer receives updates.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Open source
The project describes Jaeger as 100% open source and cloud native.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Performance monitoring
Service Performance Monitoring computes aggregate metrics from traces and visualizes them as time-series charts.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Sampling
Jaeger supports head-based sampling with centralized remote configuration, including static or adaptive configuration, and tail-based sampling.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Service graphs
The UI supports System Architecture and Deep Dependency Graph service graphs.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Storage integrations
Primary supported distributed storage backends are Cassandra, Elasticsearch, and OpenSearch; ClickHouse is experimental behind a feature gate.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Supported desktop platforms
The download page lists binaries for macOS, Linux, and Windows.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Tracing protocol
Jaeger can receive trace data using the OpenTelemetry Protocol (OTLP).Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Troubleshooting
Jaeger helps identify performance bottlenecks, track root causes, and analyze service dependencies.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io
Zipkin compatibility
Jaeger accepts Zipkin spans over HTTP in Thrift, JSON v1/v2, and Protobuf formats.Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io

Plans and prices

Jaeger Free 100% open source · self-hosted deployment · storage capacity and scale depend on chosen infrastructure Read 3 Oct 2026 · jaegertracing.io

Every Jaeger plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Open-source and free to use
  • Accepts OTLP and Zipkin span formats
  • Service graphs show architecture and dependencies
  • Supports head- and tail-based sampling
  • Binaries and container images available

Limits

  • Self-hosted infrastructure determines storage and scale
  • ClickHouse support is experimental
  • Jaeger v1 no longer receives updates

Who it suits

It suits teams operating distributed systems that can deploy and manage self-hosted tracing infrastructure.

Verdict

Jaeger offers broad protocol, sampling, storage, and service-graph support for distributed tracing. Teams must operate the deployment and account for Jaeger v1’s discontinued lifecycle.

Where Specifiction places it

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