The evolution of observability tools has led to significant challenges for teams managing large-scale systems, primarily due to escalating costs and data silos. Initially conceived to provide confidence during system issues, observability often becomes financially burdensome as systems grow. Historical tools like Splunk and open-source alternatives such as Elasticsearch offered early solutions, but each had limitations in scaling and usability. Cloud-based platforms like Datadog further complicated matters with costly pricing models, leading teams to make difficult compromises between comprehensive coverage and affordability. OpenTelemetry presents a potential solution by standardizing data collection, thus reducing vendor lock-in, while columnar databases like ClickHouse offer efficient data storage and retrieval, enabling high-performance observability without prohibitive costs. However, effective observability requires more than just a robust database; it demands user-friendly interfaces to democratize access. ClickStack aims to address these needs by leveraging ClickHouse's capabilities, promoting an open-source model that supports diverse data types and integration without the constraints of previous systems.