# Migrate From Datadog to SigNoz

Complete guide to migrating from Datadog to SigNoz. How to migrate metrics, traces/APM, logs, dashboards, and alerts.

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://signoz.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions are also available by appending `.md` to documentation URLs.

Tags: SigNoz Cloud, Self-Host

SigNoz provides a unified OpenTelemetry-native solution for monitoring metrics, traces, and logs, giving you greater flexibility, control over your data, and freedom from vendor lock-in. This guide provides an overview of migrating your existing Datadog setup to SigNoz.

## Why Migrate to SigNoz?

- **Open Source & Open Standards**: SigNoz is open-source and built natively on OpenTelemetry, ensuring you are not locked into proprietary agents or data formats.
- **Data Control**: Full ownership and privacy of your telemetry data
- **Cost Efficiency**: Predictable pricing without per-host or per-container fees
  - Read the pricing analysis: [SigNoz vs Datadog vs New Relic vs Grafana](https://signoz.io/blog/pricing-comparison-signoz-vs-datadog-vs-newrelic-vs-grafana/)
- **Unified Platform**: Single UI for metrics, traces, and logs with built-in correlation

## Migration Overview

Migrating from Datadog to SigNoz involves replacing Datadog agents and libraries with OpenTelemetry instrumentation. The process can be done incrementally—you can migrate one signal type at a time while running both platforms in parallel.

### Migration Paths

| Signal         | Guide                                                                                   | Key Changes                                                              |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Metrics**    | [Migrate Metrics](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/metrics/)       | Replace Datadog Agent with OTel Collector, migrate DogStatsD to OTel SDK |
| **Traces/APM** | [Migrate Traces](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/traces/)         | Replace dd-trace libraries with OpenTelemetry SDKs                       |
| **Logs**       | [Migrate Logs](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/logs/)             | Replace Datadog log forwarders with OTel Collector                       |
| **Dashboards** | [Migrate Dashboards](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/dashboards/) | Recreate dashboards using templates or Query Builder                     |
| **Alerts**     | [Migrate Alerts](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/alerts/)         | Map Datadog monitors to SigNoz alert types                               |

### Bridge Solution: Datadog Receiver

If you need to continue using Datadog Agent during migration, you can use the [Datadog Receiver](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/opentelemetry-datadog-receiver/) in the OpenTelemetry Collector. This allows you to receive Datadog Agent traffic and forward it to SigNoz without modifying your applications immediately.

## Key Differences: Datadog vs SigNoz

| Aspect              | Datadog                        | SigNoz                                |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------- |
| **Instrumentation** | Proprietary dd-trace libraries | OpenTelemetry SDKs (open standard)    |
| **Agent**           | Datadog Agent                  | OpenTelemetry Collector               |
| **Custom Metrics**  | DogStatsD                      | OpenTelemetry SDK                     |
| **Query Language**  | Datadog Query Language         | PromQL, ClickHouse SQL, Query Builder |
| **Dashboards**      | JSON (Datadog schema)          | JSON (SigNoz schema)                  |
| **Storage**         | Proprietary                    | ClickHouse (open source)              |

For a detailed comparison, check out [SigNoz vs Datadog](https://signoz.io/datadog-alternative/).

## Migration Tools

### Automated Dashboard Migration

Try the [SigNoz Datadog Migration Tool](https://signoz.io/datadog-migration-tool/) to automatically translate Datadog dashboard JSON to SigNoz format. This provides a starting point for complex dashboards.

### Import Pre-built Dashboards

SigNoz provides ready-to-use dashboard templates in the [SigNoz Dashboards Repository](https://github.com/SigNoz/dashboards):

- MongoDB Metrics
- Redis Metrics
- MySQL/PostgreSQL
- JVM Metrics
- And more...

## Next Steps

Start with the signal that's most important for your use case:

- [Migrate Metrics](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/metrics/) - Infrastructure and custom metrics
- [Migrate Traces/APM](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/traces/) - Application performance monitoring
- [Migrate Logs](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/logs/) - Log collection and analysis
- [Migrate Dashboards](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/dashboards/) - Visualizations and panels
- [Migrate Alerts](https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/alerts/) - Monitoring and notifications

## Get Help

Component: GetHelp

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