Self-Host OpenLIT

Self-host OpenLIT with Docker or Kubernetes. Deploy OpenLIT (dashboard plus OTLP receiver) and ClickHouse on your own infrastructure.

OpenLIT is open source and is lightweight to self-host. You need two components:

1. OpenLIT — dashboard, APIs, the first-party OTLP receiver (:4317 gRPC, :4318 HTTP), and the realtime engine
2. ClickHouse — storage for traces, metrics, and logs (otel_* tables)

Threshold alerts also need NATS JetStream, which carries live span signals from the receiver to the realtime engine. Docker Compose runs it for you; elsewhere, point NATS_URL at your own NATS server.

Already have ClickHouse?

You can reuse it and skip deploying a new database. OpenLIT connects through INIT_DB_* or a project database config. You do not need a bundled OpenTelemetry Collector — OTLP ingest is built into the OpenLIT container. An optional sidecar Collector can still forward OTLP to OpenLIT.

This section contains guides for different deployment scenarios.

Kubernetes

Deploy OpenLIT and ClickHouse on Kubernetes. OTLP ingest is built into the OpenLIT container.

Docker

Deploy OpenLIT and ClickHouse with Docker Compose. Ports 3000, 4317, and 4318 are on the OpenLIT service.

Kubernetes

Deploy OpenLIT on your Kubernetes cluster using the OpenLIT Helm chart. The chart deploys the OpenLIT platform (including the OTLP receiver) and ClickHouse.

1. Helm Repo Setup

   shell

   helm repo add openlit https://openlit.github.io/helm/
   helm repo update
   
2. Installing the Helm Chart

   shell

   helm install openlit openlit/openlit
   

Send OTLP to the OpenLIT service on 4317 (gRPC) or 4318 (HTTP). See OTLP receiver.

Docker

For a quick setup, Docker Compose (v2.24 or later) deploys OpenLIT, ClickHouse, and NATS. The OpenLIT container listens on 3000 (UI), 4317 (OTLP/gRPC), and 4318 (OTLP/HTTP). NATS publishes no ports and is only reachable from the Compose network. There is no separate otel-collector service.

1. Git Clone OpenLIT Repository

   git clone [e-mail]:openlit/openlit.git
   
2. Start Docker Compose

   From the root directory of the OpenLIT Repo, Run the below command

   docker compose up -d
   

Compose ships placeholder NATS passwords. Before anyone else can reach your deployment, set NATS_RECEIVER_PASSWORD and NATS_ENGINE_PASSWORD (for example in a .env file next to docker-compose.yml). See the realtime production checklist.

If you previously ran the old stack, restart Compose with --remove-orphans. The standalone otel-collector container is no longer used and will conflict on ports 4317 and 4318 if it is left running.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to self-host OpenLIT?

Docker and Docker Compose for the quickest path, or a Kubernetes cluster with Helm. Both deploy OpenLIT (dashboard + OTLP receiver) and ClickHouse.

Can I reuse my existing ClickHouse or OpenTelemetry Collector?

Yes for ClickHouse — see Connect Multiple Databases. You do not need OpenLIT to run otelcol. If you already operate a Collector, forward OTLP to OpenLIT.

Is OpenLIT free to self-host?

Yes. OpenLIT is licensed under Apache-2.0 and the community edition is free to self-host, with no license key or usage limits. A few organisation-wide governance features, such as custom roles, audit logs, event alerts, and notification destinations for alerts, are part of OpenLIT Enterprise and are marked with an Enterprise tag in these docs.

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