wakapi
Wakapi is a lightweight, self-hosted alternative to WakaTime for tracking coding activity and productivity metrics. It collects statistics on languages, projects, editors, and time spent coding, with optional cloud hosting or full on-premise deployment.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | muety/wakapi |
| Owner | muety |
| Primary language | Go |
| License | MIT — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 4.4k |
| Forks | 293 |
| Open issues | 39 |
| Latest release | 2.17.4 (2026-05-26) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-03 |
| Source | https://github.com/muety/wakapi |
What wakapi is
Go-based backend providing a REST API compatible with WakaTime clients, storing data in SQLite/MySQL/PostgreSQL, and exposing metrics via Prometheus. Supports Docker, Kubernetes, and direct binary deployment with configuration via YAML or environment variables.
Get the wakapi source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/muety/wakapi.gitcd wakapi# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- WakaTime client setup is mandatory; Wakapi acts as a drop-in API backend, not a standalone client. Requires familiarity with ~/.wakatime.cfg configuration.
- Database choice impacts operational overhead: SQLite suitable for single-user/small teams; MySQL/PostgreSQL recommended for production multi-tenant or high-volume deployments.
- Password salt and database credentials must be managed securely, especially in containerized environments; Docker Secrets integration is available but requires explicit setup.
- Client-side proxy configuration is optional but recommended for advanced scenarios; adds deployment complexity if attempting to fan out to multiple backends.
- Leaderboard generation runs on cron schedules (default twice daily); background job performance should be validated in resource-constrained environments.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Requires advanced analytics or AI-driven insights — Wakapi provides basic statistics aggregation; it lacks machine learning models, behavioral anomaly detection, or predictive features that commercial platforms offer.
- Team collaboration and social features are critical — Public leaderboard is available but functionality is minimal. No native team workspace, shared dashboards, or role-based access controls are documented.
- Zero tolerance for project maintenance gaps — README explicitly states maintainers have limited time and are not accepting pull requests; risk of slow issue resolution or feature development.
- Compliance auditing or vendor support SLAs required — No enterprise support model, SLA, or audit trails documented. Self-hosted instances rely entirely on operator responsibility.
License & commercial use
MIT License. Permits commercial use, modification, and redistribution with no restrictions, provided the license notice and copyright are included in derivative works or distributions.
MIT is a permissive OSI license allowing commercial deployment, resale, and closed-source forks without royalty or contribution obligations. However, no commercial support, indemnification, or SLA is implied by the project maintainers. Operators assume full liability for production use, data handling, and compliance.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Moderate |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Low |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
Project does not explicitly claim security certification or audit. Considerations: (1) Password salt handling is mandatory; weak entropy increases hash collision risk. (2) API key exposure in ~/.wakatime.cfg is a client-side concern but server must enforce rate limiting and key validation (not documented). (3) SQLite default is unencrypted at rest; MySQL/PostgreSQL should be used for sensitive environments with TLS transport. (4) CORS, CSRF, and authentication mechanism (e.g., bearer tokens, session management) are not detailed in README. (5) Self-hosted operators are responsible for network isolation, HTTPS termination, and backup strategy.
Alternatives to consider
WakaTime (SaaS)
Hosted alternative with enterprise features, advanced analytics, browser extension support, and vendor-backed support. Trade-off: data stored externally, subscription costs, less customization.
Hakatime (self-hosted)
Another open-source WakaTime-compatible backend written in Haskell. Similar feature set but smaller community (fewer stars/forks). Choose if Haskell ecosystem preference or different architecture appeals.
Custom in-house solution
Build proprietary time-tracking or CI/CD event logging integrated directly into internal tools. Offers maximum control and integration but requires engineering investment and ongoing maintenance.
Build on wakapi with DEV.co software developers
Evaluate Wakapi for your team's privacy and control needs. Start with the cloud instance at wakapi.dev, or deploy Docker/Kubernetes for full data sovereignty.
Talk to DEV.coRelated on DEV.co
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wakapi FAQ
Can I use Wakapi and WakaTime simultaneously?
What database should I use for production?
Is there a hosted version I can use without self-hosting?
What do I do if I find a bug or want a feature?
Software developers & web developers for hire
DEV.co helps companies turn open-source tools like wakapi into production software. Our software development services cover the full lifecycle — architecture, web development, integration, and maintenance — delivered by software developers and web developers who ship. Engage our software development agency to implement or customize it for your open-source devops stack.
Ready to self-host your coding metrics?
Evaluate Wakapi for your team's privacy and control needs. Start with the cloud instance at wakapi.dev, or deploy Docker/Kubernetes for full data sovereignty.