Seqera focuses on the orchestration and execution of a pipeline.
Tracer mainly focuses on observability and performance analysis. Although there are substantial differences between the two, there are also clear similarities:
- Target Domain: Both serve scientific, data-intensive, and HPC workloads.
- Pipeline Focus: Both revolve around data processing pipelines.
- Cloud-Native: Support containers, elastic scaling, and cost/resource monitoring.
- Centralized Visibility: Both provide monitoring dashboards for pipeline performance.
- Metrics: Both track CPU, memory, and runtime usage.
- Complementary Roles: Both enhance workflow efficiency and reliability.
Comparative Overview
| Category | Seqera Platform (Nextflow) | Tracer |
|---|---|---|
| Core Focus | Workflow orchestration, execution, and collaboration | System-level observability and performance optimization |
| Primary Function | Defines, schedules, and manages pipelines end-to-end | Monitors runtime behavior of existing pipelines |
| Data Visibility | Task-level metrics and detailed workflow reports | Kernel-level metrics (CPU, memory, I/O, network) via eBPF |
| Workflow Scope | Optimized specifically for Nextflow pipelines | Framework-agnostic (Nextflow, Snakemake, WDL, custom HPC) |
| Performance Analysis | Tracks execution times and task dependencies across pipelines | Detects inefficiencies, idle time, and I/O bottlenecks |
| Cost Analysis | Built-in credit accounting and resource usage monitoring | Real-time cost attribution and efficiency scoring |
| Data Management | Includes Data Explorer and Datasets for input/output management | Observes data transfer and storage efficiency |
| Collaboration & Reproducibility | Multi-user workspaces, versioning, and reproducible workflows | Focused on technical observability (individual or infra-level) |
| Ecosystem & Community | Mature global user base via Nextflow and nf-core projects | Emerging observability platform in scientific computing |
Why teams use Tracer in conjunction with Seqera
1. Comprehensive job-level insightSeqera reports which pipeline step is running. Tracer provides detailed visibility into each process, including system calls and resource behavior. It reveals:
- Over-allocation of CPU or memory
- Idle or stalled jobs
- Bottlenecks affecting runtime
High-compute workloads typically waste 20–40% of allocated resources. Tracer identifies inefficiencies and recommends corrective actions.
Capabilities include:
- Real-time cost attribution per sample, tool, and node
- Detection of underutilized nodes and oversized containers
- Rightsizing simulations for cost reduction
In many scientific and bioinformatics tools, native logging is limited or absent. Tracer generates synthetic logs from system signals, producing structured output that maintains visibility across all tools and stages. 4. Combined use for complete visibility
Tracer and Seqera are complementary. Seqera handles workflow orchestration while Tracer delivers runtime observability and performance optimization. When used in conjunction, they provide an integrated view from pipeline design to execution.
Tracer extends Seqera with full observability
| Capability | Seqera | Seqera + Tracer |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow orchestration | Only Nextflow and Seqera Platform | Fully compatible |
| Task-level visibility | Basic metrics per task | Deep system-level telemetry |
| Framework support | N/A, only Nextflow | Framework-agnostic |
| Kernel-level observability | N/A | Full process and resource tracing |
| Synthetic logging | N/A | Available for any binary or script |
| Cost and performance optimization | Manual via dashboard | Automated with recommendations |
| Anomaly detection | N/A | Detects idle time, silent errors, and inefficiencies |
| Scientific workload suitability | Supported | Enhanced with observability and optimization |
| Observability depth | Task/runtime level | End-to-end coverage: task, process, system, and cost levels |
| Pricing | Free tier (limited) + usage-based | Free up to 2,000 runs per month |