planetf1 / otelite

What is otelite?

Otelite is a Rust single-binary OpenTelemetry receiver that ingests logs, traces, and metrics over OTLP gRPC (port 4317) and HTTP (4318), then exposes them via a local web dashboard (port 3000), terminal UI, and CLI commands like `otelite logs list` or `otelite traces show`. Built for LLM development, it handles GenAI semantics like token counts and cache hits out of the box, using embedded SQLite storage with zero runtime dependencies or external services. Devs get instant local observability without Docker or config hassles.

Why is it gaining traction?

Unlike full collectors like the OpenTelemetry Collector, otelite starts in seconds using <100MB RAM and <5% idle CPU, making it a true lightweight APM for OpenTelemetry in dev workflows. The combo of web charts, ratatui-based TUI for keyboard-driven querying, and CLI exports (JSON/CSV) beats piping tools or browser tabs, plus daemon mode (`otelite start/stop`) keeps it running background. GenAI-focused views like `otelite usage --by-model` hook LLM builders tracking costs locally.

Who should use this?

LLM engineers debugging token latencies and tool calls during local eval loops. Backend devs in Python/JS/Go/Rust adding OTEL spans who want quick traces without cloud exporters. Solo prototypers skipping heavy stacks like Jaeger for lightweight RAG or API testing.

Verdict

Solid for local dev at 1.0% credibility (10 stars, v0.1 early release), with excellent README screenshots, CLI/TUI docs, and pre-commit/CI hygiene signaling maintainability. Try via `cargo install otelite` if you need a binary dashboard alternative to github lightweight charts setups—skip for production.

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