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In this guide, we will compare two of the leading data visualization tools based upon open-source software that are available for use for metrics, traces and log analysis. To allow new users to know exactly which solution may be best suited to their needs, we wanted to explore in more depth a comparison between OpenSearch Dashboards and Kibana across various aspects in our latest guide covering the differences between leading open-source software.
Contents
Project Origins
Originally developed as a community-driven fork of Kibana, OpenSearch Dashboards grew out of the decision made by Elastic to change the open-source licensing of certain components within the Elasticsearch ecosystem to become closed-source under the SSPL licensing model. OpenSearch Dashboards aims to provide an open-source and community-supported alternative.
As of now, OpenSearch Dashboards is released under the Apache 2.0 license, which brings with it more freedom to use, modify, and redistribute the product. On the other hand, Kibana is created and maintained by Elastic, which is the company behind Elasticsearch and has been the primary data visualization tool for Elasticsearch since 2013. It is important to note that Kibana is released under the Elastic License, which comes with additional restrictions and usage terms compared with the Apache 2.0 license, which has more permissive terms.
Compatibility
OpenSearch Dashboards is designed to work with OpenSearch, the community-driven fork of Elasticsearch. A key advantage of this product is that it is compatible with all versions of OpenSearch in order to provide visualization and analysis of the data stored within an OpenSearch cluster.
Whereas Kibana, on the other hand, is tightly integrated with Elasticsearch and it is designed to work seamlessly with the search engine and Logstash as well. As a member of the Elasticsearch ecosystem, Kibana gives you the ability to visualize and explore the data within the Elasticsearch ecosystem and is compatible with all other Elasticsearch versions.
Feature Parity
OpenSearch Dashboards strives to maintain feature parity with its earlier counterpart, Kibana, from which it originated. In addition to offering comparable functionalities for data visualization, dashboard creation, and data exploration, it incorporates essential features like visualizations, searches, and index management. The development of OpenSearch progresses rapidly, showcasing significant advancements in its evolution.
In comparison to OpenSearch, Kibana has a mature feature set and a broader range of functionalities as it is the original tool on which OpenSearch was based. As part of its advanced capabilities, this system offers a variety of tools that can be used for data visualization, dashboard creation, monitoring, reporting, and machine learning integration, among others. In addition, Kibana is home to a large ecosystem of plug-ins and extensions developed by Elastic themselves as well as a broader community of open-source developers.
Community and Ecosystem
Due to the fact that OpenSearch Dashboards is quite a newly formed open-source project, it enjoys a growing and active community that is open-minded and supportive of the project. There is a large and growing community of OpenSearch users that contribute continually to its development, maintenance, and the creation of extensions and plugins.
In addition to Kibana's well-established history, the software also has a larger ecosystem as a result of its well-established status. In addition to a wide range of official plugins and extensions developed by Elastic, the platform also has a vibrant community of developers that previously contributed to its ecosystem when the solutions were open-sourced.
User Interface & Tooling
Compared to earlier versions of Kibana, OpenSearch Dashboards share a similar design and layout of their user interfaces. As a result, it offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of creating visualizations, building dashboards, and exploring data. As with previous versions of Kibana, the tooling and development environment work in a similar manner visually.
There have been many changes to Kibana over time, with improvements made to its user interface as well as the development experience. Using this service, users have access to a modern, user-friendly interface with a range of features for exploring data, creating dashboards, and configuring the dashboards.
Support and Documentation
OpenSearch Dashboards leverages its community for support and documentation. While the community actively contributes to providing assistance, it's important to note that official support channels and comprehensive guidelines may have some limitations compared to the extensive documentation history of Kibana. However, the documentation for Kibana and OpenSearch is largely interchangeable, allowing users to leverage existing resources across both platforms.
With Kibana, you have access to extensive documentation, official support channels, and a strong community of users. There are a number of online training options, tutorials, forums, and professional support options available with Elastic as the creator of Kibana.
If you are going to choose between OpenSearch Dashboards and Kibana for your next project, it is crucial that you take into consideration factors such as the project requirements, licensing preferences, community support, ecosystem compatibility, and the specific features and functionalities that are required. It is important to remember that both tools offer powerful visualization and exploration capabilities, and this means that the decision should be based on the specific needs and circumstances of your use case.
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