Pixie
Apache-2.0 eBPF in-cluster observability for Kubernetes
Observability / Observability · Apache-2.0 · 6.5k
Reviewed 2026-10-18 · last push 2026-10-19 · repo checked 2026-10-19
What's Good
Apache-2.0 (pixie-io/pixie), developed since 2020. No code changes: eBPF collects HTTP, gRPC, DNS and database traffic, CPU profiles and more. Data stays in the cluster and the project says it uses under 5% of cluster CPU, usually under 2%. PxL, a Pythonic query language, works across the UI, CLI and APIs. ★~6.5k.
The Catch
Data is kept in memory in-cluster for a short window, so it is for live debugging, not long-term retention. It needs a supported Linux kernel and privileged pods. Running the control plane yourself is more involved than using a hosted Pixie cloud. Release tags are split by component and some are old, so follow the docs for current versions.
Verdict
Magic for live Kubernetes debugging — pair it with long-term storage elsewhere.
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