GlitchTip
GlitchTip is an open-source, Sentry-compatible error tracker for collecting, grouping, and managing application errors and crash reports. It accepts events via Sentry’s protocol, so most Sentry SDKs work with minimal configuration changes. You can self-host it or use the official hosted service.
It’s designed for engineering teams that want reliable error aggregation without heavy overhead. GlitchTip fits organizations that prioritize privacy, cost control, and operational simplicity, including small-to-medium teams, startups, and compliance-focused enterprises.
Use Cases
- Migrating from Sentry while keeping existing SDKs and workflows. Point SDKs to a GlitchTip DSN and preserve familiar concepts like projects, environments, releases, and tags.
- Compliance or data residency requirements that favor self-hosting. Deploy via Docker Compose or Kubernetes Helm patterns to keep data on your infrastructure.
- Teams that want a hosted option without vendor lock-in. Start on GlitchTip’s SaaS and retain the freedom to move on-prem later.
- Front-end, backend, and native apps that need readable stack traces. Upload source maps or symbol files to improve stack trace quality.
- Release-centric debugging. Attach release and deploy markers to identify regressions introduced by specific versions.
- Operational visibility without noise. Group similar events into issues and filter by tags, environment, and release to triage faster.
- Workflow integration. Use email, webhooks, and chat integrations to route alerts; automate management with the HTTP API and CLI.
Strengths
- Sentry-compatible protocol and DSNs: Reduce migration friction by using familiar SDKs and event formats.
- Open-source and self-hostable: Full control over data location, privacy, and cost; no core vendor lock-in.
- Simplicity and lightweight footprint: Focuses on core error tracking features for easier onboarding and operations.
- Hosted SaaS option: Use GlitchTip without running infrastructure, with the option to self-host later.
- Issue grouping and aggregation: Surfaces root causes and cuts alert noise for faster triage.
- Search, tags, and filtering: Locate specific events and correlate issues across environments and releases.
- Release tracking and deploy markers: Quickly see when and where a regression started.
- Notifications and integrations: Email, webhooks, and common tool integrations (e.g., Slack/Git via webhooks or built-ins where supported).
- Attachments and source maps: Better symbolication for front-end and native applications.
- API and CLI: Enable automation and CI/CD integration for project setup, deploys, and housekeeping.
- Organization/Project/Team model with roles: Multi-tenant friendly access controls.
- Rate limiting and quotas: Keep ingestion predictable and protect infrastructure.
- User feedback and annotations: Tie user reports to issues and add context for triage.
- Activity feed and history: Assignment and auditing to support team workflows.
- Active, open-source codebase: Public development on GitHub encourages transparency and contributions.
Limitations
- Feature gap vs. full Sentry: Lacks some advanced performance monitoring, analytics, and enterprise capabilities.
- Operational overhead at scale: Self-hosting requires capacity planning, storage, backups, and scaling for high event volumes.
- Smaller ecosystem and occasional rough edges: Documentation and integrations may be less polished; expect occasional troubleshooting.
- Symbolication for native/mobile varies: Extra setup may be needed for dSYMs and similar artifact processing.
- Hosted plan specifics can change: Review pricing, rate limits, and retention before committing.
- Support model: Community-driven with fewer third-party integrations than large commercial platforms.
Final Thoughts
GlitchTip is a practical choice if you need Sentry-compatible error tracking with control over data and costs. It covers the core workflows—ingestion, grouping, search, releases, and alerting—without heavy complexity. For teams that don’t need advanced performance monitoring, it’s a solid, lightweight fit.
Run a short pilot before migrating: verify SDK compatibility, plan projects/environments, configure quotas and retention, and enable backups. Upload source maps or symbols early for accurate stack traces, and wire alerts into your chat or incident tools. Finally, compare total cost of ownership between self-hosting and the hosted plan; choose based on your team’s operational capacity and compliance needs.