OpenTelemetry eBPF Profiler

6.4easy start · #17 of 27
in Continuous Profiling Tools

Free to practise onnot on record
Free trialnot on record
Well documentedyes
Runs where you worknot on record

Runs on Linux, self-hosted.

OpenTelemetry eBPF Profiler is ranked #17 of 27 in continuous profiling tools on The Geeks Club. It runs on Linux, Self-hosted.

Compared on continuous profiling tools

Deployment: self-hosted
Language support: C/C++, Rust, Zig, Go, HotSpot JVM, Python, Ruby, PHP, Node.js, V8, Perl, Erlang, .NET
Profiling types: whole-system, cross-language, native code, system libraries, high-level language runtimes

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The record

Purpose: It is a whole-system, cross-language profiler for Linux that uses eBPF.
Languages: It supports native code including C/C++, Rust, Zig and Go, as well as Hotspot JVM, Python, Ruby, PHP, Node.js, V8, Perl, Erlang and .NET.
Low overhead: The project says its tested upper limits are 1% CPU and 250 MB of memory, and that the agent typically stays well below those limits.
No in-process agent: Profiling does not require loading agents or libraries into the processes being profiled.
No runtime changes: The agent supports unwinding supported languages in their default configuration without reconfiguration, instrumentation or interpreter or VM restarts.
Architecture support: The project supports ARM64 unwinders and says its provided build targets support amd64 and arm64.
Linux requirement: The profiler is Linux-only; recent commits may require Linux kernel 5.10 or later, while earlier commits supported 5.4 or 4.19.
OpenTelemetry integration: The profiler is integrated into the OpenTelemetry Collector as a receiver, which the project identifies as the supported configuration going forward.
Backend integration: The README names Pyroscope as an open-source database that natively supports ingesting OpenTelemetry profiling data.
Development backend limitation: The README says devfiler is for testing, experimentation and development, and should not be used as a production backend.
Profiling signal status: The agent has a functional but work-in-progress, evolving implementation of the recently released Alpha OpenTelemetry Profiles signal.
License: The project is licensed under Apache License 2.0, and its eBPF source code is licensed under GPL 2.0.
Security reporting: The security policy asks reporters not to use public GitHub issues and recommends the repository’s private vulnerability reporting channel.
Support and community: The project says it is developed by the OpenTelemetry Profiling SIG and directs questions and discussion to the #otel-profiles channel on CNCF Slack.

Where it ranks on The Geeks Club

Best Continuous Profiling Tools in 2026#17 of 27

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Sources

github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-ebpf-profi· checked 4 Oct 2026
github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-ebpf-profi· checked 4 Oct 2026