# Vector

> MPL-2.0 logs/metrics/traces data plane vs OTel Collector/Alloy

**Category:** Observability  
**Pricing:** open-source  
**URL:** https://vector.dev  
**GitHub:** https://github.com/vectordotdev/vector  
**Added:** 2026-09-07

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## The Hook

Vector is the Rust observability data plane when you need transform/route before the backend bill lands.

## What's Good

High-performance sources to transforms to sinks for logs, metrics, and traces. Single binary, VRL transforms, broad vendor sinks. Strong alternative to OTel Collector pipelines.

## The Catch

MPL-2.0 (file-level copyleft, not MIT/Apache). Datadog-maintained after Timber acquisition - product direction follows Datadog. Distinct from OpenTelemetry Collector and Grafana Alloy.

## Verdict

MPL-2.0 obs data plane. Free to run; watch MPL + Datadog stewardship.