---
title: "Introduction"
description: "What Loggerhead is, who it is for, and what it is not."
source: "https://getloggerhead.com/docs/getting-started/introduction/"
---

# Introduction

> What Loggerhead is, who it is for, and what it is not.

Loggerhead is a Mac app that watches the software you run on your machine. It collects the logs, numbers, and request traces your app produces and shows them in one clear window. Your AI coding tool can read the same data. Nothing leaves your Mac.

## How it runs

Loggerhead is one native Swift app. The OTLP receiver, the DuckDB store, the telemetry-linting engine, the alert
engine, and the MCP server all run inside that app. There is no container to start, no runtime to install, and no
background service. The app is signed and notarised.

## It works offline

Loggerhead needs no internet connection. The receiver, the database, every page, the lint rules, and the MCP
server run on your Mac. AI analysis with Apple Intelligence also runs on the Mac. Four things use the network: the
check for app updates, on Pro a daily check that the licence is still active, AI analysis with a cloud provider key
that you add, and a problem report when you send one. The licence check sends the licence ID and nothing else. With no network, Pro stays on.

## Who it is for

- Solo developers who want to see what their app does before they ship it.
- Teams that stage a release and want a full picture before it goes live.
- People who work with an AI coding tool and want it to see real facts, not guesses.

## What it is not

Loggerhead is not a production observability platform. It stores data in DuckDB on one Mac. Use it for local and staging traffic. Keep your production platform for production.

## Next step

[Install the Mac app](/docs/getting-started/install-the-mac-app/).