Crates / Compare / tracing vs metrics
Rust crates side by side · data Oct 24, 2026
tracing vs metrics
Short answerBy steady daily use, tracing is bigger: 2,611,879 real downloads a day against 278,558 for metrics (9.4x). 46,220 crates depend on tracing and 1,333 on metrics. tracing last shipped 10 months ago, metrics 5 months ago.
tracing
FoundationalFoundational and steady.
46,220 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
Application-level tracing for Rust.
metrics
Widely usedWidely used and steady.
1,333 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
A lightweight metrics facade.
tracingmetrics · 100% = that crate's normal quiet day, so a spike to 300% is triple its usual traffic
How they relate
- Often used together: 1 tracked crate depend on both (hickory-resolver). They are not always either/or.
Every number, side by side
| Same window, same method | tracing | metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Real downloads a day | 2,611,879 | 278,558 |
| Crates that depend on it | 46,220 | 1,333 |
| Last release | 0.1.44, 10 months ago | 0.24.6, 5 months ago |
| Trend vs the field | +1% | +5% |
| Release-window share | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Downloads in the window | 235,971,565 | 24,580,659 |
| All-time downloads | 965,769,957 | 119,728,990 |
| Versions published | 46 | 59 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| MSRV | 1.65.0 | 1.71.1 |
| First published | Nov 27, 2017 | Sep 3, 2015 |
Which to pick
- Downloads tell you what is common, not what fits. Each crate's own description above says what it is for; when the jobs differ, pick by the job.
- When both fit, prefer the one more crates depend on (tracing, 46,220 dependents): more eyes, more answered questions, and you may already have it in your tree.
- Check the release dates against your own pace: tracing 10 months ago, metrics 5 months ago.
Also in this space
Method
Real downloads = the median day with no release that day or the day before, from the crates.io API (Jul 27, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026). Raw crates.io counts include CI and bots and run high (why); the method is from our 90-day study.
Up next
Another comparison: Same method, same window. Foundational and steady vs foundational and steady.log vs tracingRead it next →Also worth your time