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SPECIFICTION
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Parca

parca.dev

Free plan WebLinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit parca.dev
Spec score 8.2 #6 of 29 in Profiling Software

What it is

Parca is a self-hosted profiling system that collects and stores CPU, memory, I/O, and other profiles for queries over time. Its eBPF-based Parca Agent captures user-space and kernel-space stack traces, while the system also accepts valid pprof-formatted profiles pushed through gRPC or pulled from targets over HTTP. Users can query by labels, compare dimensions such as processes or code versions, and view profiles in the web interface with Icicle Graphs. A Grafana plugin can display profiles stored in Parca. The agent supports automatic profiling for languages including C, C++, Go, Rust, .NET, Deno, Erlang, Java, Julia, Node.js, Wasmtime, PHP, Ruby, and Python. Installation options include binaries, containers, Kubernetes, and Snaps. Parca is open source under the Apache 2 License and is free. The agent requires Linux kernel 4.18 or newer and privileged access to load eBPF programs. Parca says it receives profiling statistics and function-name metadata, not binaries or source code.

Spec sheet

Product
Parca continuously collects, stores, and makes CPU, memory, I/O, and other profiles available for querying over time.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Deployment
The project documents installation using binaries, containers, Kubernetes, and Snaps.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Security
The project says the Agent source is open source, it is written in Go, and its binaries and container images are fully reproducible; the Agent needs privileged access to load eBPF programs.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Support
Polar Signals offers paid support for users of Parca’s open-source project.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Maker
Polar Signals says it was founded in 2020.Read 7 Oct 2026 · polarsignals.com
Agent
Parca Agent is an eBPF-based whole-system profiler.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Analysis
Parca supports label-selector queries, a profiling-specific query engine, and comparisons across label dimensions such as processes or code versions.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Commercial API
The project identifies Polar Signals as the only commercial provider of Parca-compatible APIs, through Polar Signals Cloud.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Data collection
Profiles can be pushed to Parca through gRPC or pulled from targets through HTTP.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Data handling
Parca says it receives profiling statistics and function-name metadata, not users’ binaries or source code.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Features
Features include a multi-dimensional data model, label-selector queries, a profiling-specific query engine, built-in storage, and support for pushing and pulling profiles.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Grafana
Profiles stored in Parca can be visualized using the Grafana plugin.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Integration
A Grafana plugin can visualize profiles stored in Parca.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Languages
The agent’s automatic profiling supports languages including C, C++, Rust, Go, Ruby, Node.js, Python, Java, .NET, Perl, and PHP.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Linux requirement
The quick start says the Parca Agent binary works only on Linux.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Open source
Parca’s components are available under the Apache 2 License.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Overhead
The FAQ reports observed Agent overhead of less than 1% CPU and less than 200 Mb memory, depending on the number of actively profiled targets.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Profiler
Parca Agent uses eBPF to capture user-space and kernel-space stack traces with low overhead.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Profiling
Parca focuses on sampling profiling, which the project says can run continuously in production with very little overhead.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Supported formats
Parca supports any valid pprof-formatted profile.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev
Visualization
Parca’s web UI can query profiles and visualize them using Icicle Graphs, described as upside-down Flame Graphs.Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev

Plans and prices

Parca Open Source Free Open source; components available under Apache 2 License Read 7 Oct 2026 · parca.dev

Every Parca plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free and open source under Apache 2 License
  • Captures user-space and kernel-space stacks with eBPF
  • Accepts valid pprof profiles through push or pull
  • Visualizes profiles in its web UI and Grafana
  • Supports automatic profiling across many languages

Limits

  • Agent requires Linux kernel 4.18 or newer
  • Agent needs privileged access to load eBPF programs
  • Deployment is self-hosted

Who it suits

Parca suits teams that want to profile production systems and query profiles across processes or code versions. It is intended for users able to deploy a self-hosted service and grant the agent privileged Linux access.

Verdict

Parca combines continuous sampling profiles with label-based queries, comparisons, and web or Grafana visualization. Check the Linux kernel and privilege requirements before deploying its agent.

Where Specifiction places it

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