GlitchTip

GlitchTip is a self‑hosted, open‑source error‑tracking and performance monitoring platform that mirrors Sentry’s feature set while prioritizing simplicity and cost efficiency. From a developer’s standpoint, it acts as an ingest‑to‑analysis pipeline: client SDKs (Sentry‑compatible) ship error events, which are processed by a Python backend and stored in PostgreSQL. A React/Redux front‑end then presents dashboards, issue grouping, and alerting. The architecture is intentionally lightweight, enabling rapid deployment in on‑premise or cloud environments without the overhead of a complex microservices stack.

Key Features

• Error ingestion: Accepts Sentry SDK payloads (JSON over HTTP) for exceptions, logs, CSP violations, etc.
• Issue grouping & deduplication: Uses stack trace fingerprinting to cluster related errors, providing a single issue view with event history.
• Performance monitoring: Tracks transaction timings for HTTP requests, database queries, and custom spans; exposes metrics via a Prometheus‑compatible endpoint.
• Uptime checks: Periodic pings or webhook callbacks trigger email alerts when a target URL becomes unreachable.
• Alerting & webhooks: Configurable notification channels (email, Slack, webhook) with fine‑grained rule sets.

Technical Stack

The core Django application exposes a REST API that mirrors Sentry’s event schema, allowing developers to write custom ingestion logic or extend the data model. Celery workers handle time‑consuming tasks such as grouping, metric aggregation, and notification dispatch, keeping the API responsive.

Core Capabilities & APIs

• Event ingestion endpoint (POST /api/0/projects/:slug/events/) – accepts raw Sentry event payloads.
• Issue API (GET /api/0/issues/) – retrieve, filter, and modify issue state (e.g., resolve, ignore).
• Project configuration – REST endpoints to manage integrations, alert rules, and webhooks.
• Metrics API – /api/0/metrics/ provides transaction summaries; can be consumed by custom dashboards.
• Webhook support – external services can trigger actions (e.g., CI/CD pipelines) when an issue is created or resolved.

Deployment & Infrastructure

GlitchTip ships as a single Docker image that pulls the necessary services (Django, Celery, Redis, PostgreSQL). For production, a typical deployment uses:

1. PostgreSQL – persistent storage; can be managed via RDS or self‑hosted.
2. Redis – Celery broker and cache; can be scaled horizontally.
3. ElasticSearch (optional) – improves search performance and supports advanced filtering.
4. Nginx/Traefik – reverse proxy with TLS termination.

Kubernetes manifests are available, allowing horizontal scaling of API workers and Celery beat processes. The platform supports zero‑downtime deployments via rolling updates, and metrics are exposed to Prometheus for health monitoring.

Integration & Extensibility

GlitchTip’s open‑source nature means developers can fork the repo, modify the event schema, or add new integrations. The plugin system is minimal but extensible: custom Django apps can hook into signals (post_save on Issue) to trigger external workflows. Webhooks are first‑class, enabling integration with CI/CD pipelines, ticketing systems, or custom dashboards. The REST API is fully documented (Swagger/OpenAPI) and can be consumed by any HTTP client.

Developer Experience

• Configuration – Settings are environment‑driven; a single .env file controls database URLs, Redis endpoints, and feature flags.
• Documentation – The GitHub repo contains a comprehensive README, API reference, and developer guide. Community support is active on Discord and GitHub Discussions.
• Testing – The codebase includes unit tests for the API layer, integration tests for Celery tasks, and end‑to‑end tests using Selenium.
• Licensing – MIT license ensures no licensing constraints, making it attractive for commercial or internal projects.

Use Cases

1. Enterprise SaaS – A company wants a self‑hosted error platform that is Sentry‑compatible but free from vendor lock‑in.
2. Compliance‑heavy environments – Deploy on internal networks to keep all telemetry within the organization.
3. Hybrid monitoring – Combine error tracking with custom performance metrics for a unified observability stack.
4. Open‑source projects – Host a community instance that mirrors the public Sentry experience without paid tiers.

Advantages

• Performance – Lightweight Django core with async Celery workers keeps latency low; optional ElasticSearch boosts search speed.
• Flexibility – Full control over data schema, alert logic, and integration points; no vendor‑controlled feature gating.
• Cost – Self‑hosted, open source; no per‑user or event pricing.
• Community & Extensibility – Active contributors, frequent