Freedom251 › Log Management Software
Chipmunk
What Chipmunk is
Chipmunk is a free native desktop log viewer and analysis tool for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with self-hosted deployment. It handles files without a stated size ceiling, using available disk space as the practical limit. The app can collect data from TCP, UDP, serial ports, and running commands or programs. Search results update as new data arrives, while saved filters can be reused and color-labeled. Regular expressions can extract metrics into updating charts. Chipmunk supports automotive DLT and SomeIp traces, including DLT inside pcap and pcapng captures and embedded attachments. Images, video, audio, and text attachments can be viewed or exported. WebAssembly component plugins support parser and byte-source extensions. Its CLI accepts network or file input, parses DLT, and writes binary or text output. Prebuilt releases, Cargo installation, and an updater are available.
Who it suits
Chipmunk suits developers and analysts working with large logs, automotive traces, or network captures. Its desktop, CLI, and plugin options also fit teams building specialized parsing workflows.
What it does well
- Free desktop application
- No stated file-size limit beyond available disk space
- Live collection from TCP, UDP, and serial ports
- DLT and SomeIp trace support
- WebAssembly plugins extend parsers and byte sources
What to know first
- Windows requires the latest Visual C++ Redistributable
- CLI presets cannot combine with binary output
- Release 4.4.0 lacks a signed macOS package
- Self-hosted deployment is listed
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Chipmunk | Desktop application; file size limited by available disk space | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Chipmunk combines live log viewing, trace analysis, charts, attachments, CLI processing, and extensibility at no cost. Check platform installation requirements and the macOS signing limitation before deployment.
Facts from Chipmunk's own pages
- Archive export
- No · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Attachments
- DLT trace inspection supports embedded attachments, including media and text that can be viewed in the app or exported. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Automotive formats
- Built-in support includes DLT and SomeIp traces, including DLT embedded attachments and DLT content extracted from SomeIp packets. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Capture formats
- DLT traces can be inspected as standalone files or within pcap and pcapng network captures. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Charts
- Users can define regular expressions to capture metrics and create charts that update as streamed data arrives. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- CLI
- The CLI processes input from TCP, UDP, and files, supports DLT parsing, and can write binary or text output. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- CLI filter limit
- CLI filtering with exported GUI presets is supported only for text output; combining a preset with binary output is rejected. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Deployment options
- self-hosted · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- File size
- The project says Chipmunk has no file size limit and is limited by available disk space. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Installation
- Prebuilt releases are available for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and the app can also be installed from source with Cargo. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The project documents a CLI tool and plugin development and integration support. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The documentation highlights automotive log and network trace analysis, including DLT and SomeIp workflows. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Large files
- The documentation says Chipmunk uses no caching or unnecessary copying and is limited by available disk space. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- License
- The public GitHub repository identifies its license as Apache-2.0. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Live log tailing
- Yes · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Log collection
- It can collect logs from TCP, UDP, serial ports, and the output of a running command or program. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Log pipelines
- No · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- macOS limitation
- Release 4.4.0 is temporarily unavailable as a signed macOS package due to notarization issues; release 4.3.0 remains available as a signed macOS release. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Media
- Embedded image, video, audio, and text attachments can be viewed in the app or exported to disk. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- Prebuilt desktop releases are documented for macOS, Windows, and Linux; the page lists package and portable archive options for each. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Plugins
- Chipmunk supports WebAssembly component plugins, including parser and byte-source plugins that developers can build in Rust or other languages that compile to WASM. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Chipmunk is a native desktop log viewer and analysis tool that supports files without a stated file-size limit. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Search
- Users can save and reuse filter sets, label filters with colors, and see search results update as new data arrives. · esrlabs.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Where Chipmunk stands on Freedom251
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