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Comparison · Infra & APIs
Currents vs Jaeger
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Currents and Jaeger — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:mcp
Currents vs Jaeger: at a glance
What is Currents?
Currents lists itself in the Claude and ChatGPT/Codex plugin directories.
Currents is a Playwright test dashboard rebuilding itself around agent access. Since September it shipped agent-readable failure links, scoped personal access tokens, a hosted MCP server with OAuth, run attachments and a trace API. On November 3 it appeared in the Claude and ChatGPT/Codex plugin directories, so users connect from the listing without typing a server URL.
What is Jaeger?
Jaeger 2.23 lets people and agents query traces in SQL.
Jaeger 2.23 adds a SQL query surface that compiles to its RFC 0005 structured filters, and the MCP search_traces tool now accepts a SQL statement. Storage search capabilities are exposed over api_v3 HTTP and gRPC, and ClickHouse now routes structured filters into SQL WHERE clauses. The release also breaks things: unused ClickHouse feature gates are gone, schema creation needs an explicit table engine, and the Gemini reference sidecar is removed.
Currents vs Jaeger: editorial side-by-side
Currents
6.3INFRA · APIS
Currents lists itself in the Claude and ChatGPT/Codex plugin directories.
◆ Current state
Currents is a Playwright test dashboard rebuilding itself around agent access. Since September it shipped agent-readable failure links, scoped personal access tokens, a hosted MCP server with OAuth, run attachments and a trace API. On November 3 it appeared in the Claude and ChatGPT/Codex plugin directories, so users connect from the listing without typing a server URL.
◆ Where it's heading
The agent-access stack is built; Currents is now working on distribution. Plugin directory listings put the OAuth MCP server in front of users inside the agents themselves, while the October Project Overview serves people reading the dashboard.
◆ Prediction
Expect more agent-directory listings or deeper Claude Code and Codex workflows built on the trace API.
Jaeger
3.8INFRA · APIS
Jaeger 2.23 lets people and agents query traces in SQL.
◆ Current state
Jaeger 2.23 adds a SQL query surface that compiles to its RFC 0005 structured filters, and the MCP search_traces tool now accepts a SQL statement. Storage search capabilities are exposed over api_v3 HTTP and gRPC, and ClickHouse now routes structured filters into SQL WHERE clauses. The release also breaks things: unused ClickHouse feature gates are gone, schema creation needs an explicit table engine, and the Gemini reference sidecar is removed.
◆ Where it's heading
Since merging MCP into the query service in July, Jaeger has been rebuilding search: trace summaries, then span search and pagination, now SQL. Each release makes the query layer more expressive and more usable by AI agents, while ClickHouse becomes the backend that gets the new capabilities first.
◆ Prediction
Expect the SQL surface and structured filters to move from new to beta or stable over the next releases, with more backends routing filters natively like ClickHouse does now.
Alternatives to Currents and Jaeger
Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Currents or Jaeger.
Scalar
Scalar's November 5 releases give each API document its own authentication settings
Algolia
Algolia's AI Assist now writes merchandising rules from a plain-language request
SoftEther VPN
SoftEther returns after 16 months with Windows ARM64 support and a pile of fixes.
Parse Server
Parse Server 9.11.1 alphas close two beforeSave advisories, one a server crash.
Bitbucket
Bitbucket Pipelines swaps stored credentials for step permissions and container tokens.
See all Currents alternatives → · See all Jaeger alternatives →
Recent activity from Currents and Jaeger
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 20h agoJaegerSQL queries for traces, in the API and the MCP tool ⚡
- 3d agoCurrents[New] Connect Currents from the Claude and ChatGPT/Codex plugin directories
- 18d agoCurrents[Improved] A better GitHub run comment
- 18d agoCurrents[New] Project Overview
- 23d agoCurrents[New] Trace API for agents ⚡
- 1mo agoCurrents[New] Run attachments
- 1mo agoJaegerSpan search and pagination reach the query service
- 1mo agoCurrents[New] Remote MCP Server with OAuth
- 1mo agoJaegerClickHouse goes stable; unused v1 HTTP endpoints removed
- 3mo agoJaegerMCP merges into the query service; Elasticsearch 6 support removed ⚡
- 5mo agoJaegerLightweight trace-summaries endpoint arrives in the v3 API
- 5mo agoJaegerHeader forwarding to storage backends and UI base-path autodetection
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Currents and Jaeger?
Both compete on the same themes — mcp — within Infra & APIs. Currents is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 3.8), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Currents better than Jaeger?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Currents is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 3.8), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Currents?
Top Currents alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Currents alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/currents-dev for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Jaeger?
Top Jaeger alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Jaeger alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/jaeger for the full list with editorial commentary on each.