Introduction to Scouter Project
Scouter is an open-source application performance monitoring (APM) tool designed to help manage and monitor the performance of applications. It is comparable to other well-known APM tools like New Relic and AppDynamics. The primary focus of Scouter is to provide insight into how applications are performing, which is crucial for maintaining efficient system operations.
Monitoring Capabilities
Scouter offers a broad range of monitoring capabilities. It supports:
- Java Applications: With a Java Agent, Scouter can monitor web applications running on servers such as Tomcat, JBoss, and Resin, as well as standalone Java applications.
- Host Systems: Scouter implements a Host Agent to monitor the performance of Linux, Windows, and Unix operating systems.
Since version 2.0.0, Scouter has expanded its monitoring capabilities through integration with Telegraf, supporting applications like Redis, NginX, Apache HTTPD, Kafka, MySQL, among others. Furthermore, from version 2.5.0, it introduced the Zipkin-Scouter storage feature, enabling users to visualize data from applications instrumented with Zipkin, including those written in various programming languages like C#, Go, Python, JavaScript, and PHP.
Key Features
Scouter provides several key statistics and performance metrics, making it easier for users to understand their system's performance.
- User Metrics: These include the number of active users, recent users, and daily visitors.
- Service Metrics: Users can track active services, transactions per second (TPS), response times, and detailed application profiles.
- Resource Metrics: Scouter monitors CPU, memory, network, heap usage, and database connection pools, ensuring comprehensive resource assessment.
A visual component of Scouter includes a dashboard that presents this data in an accessible and user-friendly manner.
Modules and Extensions
Scouter is composed of several official modules:
- Agent Module: These gather and send performance data. The Java Agent monitors JVM and web applications, while the Host Agent collects data from operating systems.
- Server (Collector) Module: Collects and saves performance metrics streamed from agents and Telegraf.
- Client (Viewer) Module: Provides an RCP-based program for data visualization, although it does not support OSX Big Sur.
- Web API Module: Offers APIs to access performance metrics over HTTP, allowing easy integration into other systems.
- Weaver Module: Enables direct control of Scouter's XLog and profiles at the Java code level.
Scouter also supports plugins, allowing users to extend its functionality with additional server plugins for data processing and alert management. The platform accommodates third-party user interfaces and additional agent types, such as the pulse type agent for AWS services.
Community and Contributions
Scouter actively welcomes contributions from the community. Developers can contribute by following the guidelines found in the Scouter developer guide. Users can engage with the Scouter community through a dedicated Facebook user group and Google Groups, where they can discuss issues, share insights, and offer or receive support.
Getting Started
For new users, Scouter offers a host of resources to get started quickly. This includes a quick start guide, documentation for installation, and a live demo. The modular design of Scouter allows customization and scalability to fit various user needs.
Conclusion
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0, Scouter stands as a powerful open-source tool for those looking to gain comprehensive insights into their application's performance and system resource utilization. Whether for individual developers or large-scale operations, Scouter provides the necessary tools to ensure peak performance and operational efficiency of software applications.