How to Migrate from Sentry to GlitchTip

GlitchTip is Sentry SDK-compatible — meaning the migration is as simple as changing a DSN URL. Same SDKs, same code, just a different backend. Here's the full guide.

Why GlitchTip?

• Sentry SDK compatible — zero application code changes
• 1-2 GB RAM vs Sentry's 8-16 GB
• 3 containers vs Sentry's 20+
• MIT license — vs Sentry's BSL
• $5/month VPS vs $26-80+/month Sentry plans

Step 1: Deploy GlitchTip

# docker-compose.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
  web:
    image: glitchtip/glitchtip
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:secret@db/glitchtip
      SECRET_KEY: your-secret-key-here
      GLITCHTIP_DOMAIN: https://errors.yourdomain.com
      DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL: errors@yourdomain.com
      EMAIL_URL: smtp://user:pass@smtp.example.com:587
    depends_on:
      - db
      - redis

  worker:
    image: glitchtip/glitchtip
    command: ./bin/run-celery-with-beat.sh
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:secret@db/glitchtip
      SECRET_KEY: your-secret-key-here
    depends_on:
      - db
      - redis

  db:
    image: postgres:15
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: glitchtip
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret
    volumes:
      - pg-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

  redis:
    image: redis

docker compose up -d

Step 2: Create Project in GlitchTip

1. Open https://errors.yourdomain.com
2. Create an account
3. Create an Organization
4. Create a Project (select your platform: JavaScript, Python, etc.)
5. Copy the DSN

Step 3: Update Your Application

The entire migration is changing one line — the DSN:

Python:

import sentry_sdk

sentry_sdk.init(
    dsn="https://key@errors.yourdomain.com/1",  # ← Just change this
    traces_sample_rate=0.1,
)

JavaScript:

import * as Sentry from "@sentry/browser";

Sentry.init({
  dsn: "https://key@errors.yourdomain.com/1",  // ← Just change this
  tracesSampleRate: 0.1,
});

Node.js:

const Sentry = require("@sentry/node");

Sentry.init({
  dsn: "https://key@errors.yourdomain.com/1",  // ← Just change this
});

That's it. Same Sentry SDK. Same initialization. Same error capture. Just a different DSN.

Step 4: Verify

1. Trigger a test error in your application
2. Check GlitchTip dashboard — the error should appear
3. Verify stack traces render correctly
4. Verify source maps work (upload them to GlitchTip)

Step 5: Upload Source Maps (JavaScript)

# Install Sentry CLI (works with GlitchTip)
npm install -g @sentry/cli

# Upload source maps
sentry-cli --url https://errors.yourdomain.com \
  releases files YOUR_RELEASE \
  upload-sourcemaps ./dist \
  --auth-token YOUR_GLITCHTIP_TOKEN

What Works

• ✅ Error capture and grouping
• ✅ Stack traces
• ✅ Source maps
• ✅ Breadcrumbs
• ✅ User context
• ✅ Tags and extra data
• ✅ Release tracking
• ✅ Basic performance monitoring
• ✅ Email alerts

What You'll Lose

• ❌ Session replay
• ❌ Profiling
• ❌ Cron monitoring
• ❌ Advanced issue grouping (AI-enhanced)
• ❌ Slack/Jira/GitHub integrations (webhooks only)
• ❌ Advanced dashboards

Cost Comparison

Plan	Sentry	GlitchTip Self-Hosted
Developer	Free (5K errors)	Free (unlimited)
Team	$26/month	$5/month (VPS)
Business	$80/month	$10/month (VPS)
Enterprise	Custom	$20/month (VPS)

Migration Timeline

Time	Task
30 min	Deploy GlitchTip
5 min	Create project, get DSN
5 min	Change DSN in your app
15 min	Deploy app, verify errors appear
Total: ~1 hour

This is one of the easiest migrations in the OSS world. Same SDKs, change one line, done.

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