Application Performance Management

Introduction

Application Performance Management (APM) is a built-in feature in Joget DX 8 that automatically monitors the performance of systems and applications in real time. This functionality allows users to configure alerts for various metrics, such as errors, and to send email notifications when predefined thresholds are exceeded.

How does it work?

Accessing system APM

To access the System APM, follow these steps:

Localhost Version:

1. Log in as an administrator.
2. Open the Administrator Bar.
3. Click Monitor.
4. Select Performance.
   

   

Cloud Version:

Follow the same steps as in the Localhost version.

Accessing APM in your application

To view the APM for a specific application, follow the steps below:

1. Log in as an administrator.
2. Hover over an app until a pencil icon appears.
3. Click on the pencil icon to enter the App Composer.
4. Select the Performance icon to display application-specific performance information.
   

Web request performance metrics

• Cluster Nodes: Monitor the performance across different nodes.

• Response Time: This metric measures the amount of time it takes for a system or application to respond to a request. It's critical for assessing the user experience, as longer response times can indicate inefficiencies or performance bottlenecks in the application.
  
• Slow Traces: These are detailed reports or logs that capture instances where transactions or processes take longer than expected. Slow traces help in identifying specific steps or actions within a transaction that are causing delays.
  
• Errors: This metric tracks the number of errors that occur during the operation of the system or application. Monitoring errors is essential for maintaining the reliability and stability of IT services and troubleshooting and resolving issues that impact user experience.
  
• Queries: This refers to monitoring database queries to assess their performance and efficiency. It includes metrics such as execution time and resource usage, which are important for identifying slow or poorly optimized queries that could degrade overall application performance.
  
• Service Calls: This metric measures the performance and availability of external services that the application depends on, such as web services, API calls, or microservices. Monitoring service calls is crucial for ensuring that all components of a distributed system function optimally and meet performance expectations.
  
• Thread Profile: This involves analyzing the usage of threads within an application to identify concurrency issues, such as deadlocks or thread starvation, which can significantly impact application performance. Thread profiling helps optimize the use of resources and improve the application's scalability.
  

Download slow/error trace

1. Click the bubble on the chart, and its feedback window will appear.
2. Click this cloud button to download the feedback.
   

Application performance management configuration

Application Performance Management (APM) tools are essential for monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing the performance of applications. They provide insights into real-time operations, user interactions, and system efficiency, empowering administrators and developers to maintain optimal performance and availability. This section of the documentation details how to manage performance alerts, delete performance data, and review historical performance metrics.

Managing APM properties

Historical performance data

View historical data for the following time intervals to analyze trends and identify potential issues:

Performance alert configuration

The Manage Alert feature in the APM tool is designed to help administrators proactively manage and respond to potential performance issues by setting up customizable email notifications. This functionality allows you to monitor specific performance metrics and receive alerts when these metrics exceed predefined thresholds, ensuring timely intervention to maintain system stability and efficiency.

Add Alert: Configure alerts to monitor specific metrics.

1.  Click Manage Alert to show the PERFORMANCE ALERT window.
2. Fill in the fields for Add Alert.

Configure the parameters below to set up alerts for monitoring specific metrics in the system.

• Available Metrics for Alerts
  
  
  • Error Count: Tracks the number of errors that occurred.
  • Error Rate (%): Percentage of transactions that resulted in errors.
  • Heap Memory Usage (MB): Amount of heap memory used by the process.
  • Free Physical Memory (MB): Amount of physical memory available.
  • Process CPU Load: CPU usage by the process.
  • System CPU Load: Overall CPU usage by the system.
    
    
• Threshold Settings
  
  
  • Upper Threshold: Set this to trigger an alert when the metric value exceeds a specified limit. For example, an alert could be triggered when the CPU Load exceeds 80%.
  • Lower Bound Threshold: Opt for this to trigger an alert when the metric value falls below a specified limit, which is useful for monitoring underutilization or drop-in usage patterns.
    
    

• Time Period (mins)

  • Define the duration over which the metric is evaluated, such as 5, 15, or 30 minutes. This helps identify trends over a specific time frame.
    
    

• Minimum Transaction Count

  • Sets the minimum transaction count for meaningful metrics. Alerts will be suppressed unless the time period has at least this count.
    
    
    This field is applicable only if Error Rate (%) is selected as the metric.
• Setting Severity Levels
  Assign a severity level to each alert to prioritize responses effectively:
  

• • Critical: Requires immediate attention.
  • High: This is a significant issue that should be addressed promptly.
  • Medium: Moderate issue; monitor and address as needed.
  • Low: Low impact; monitor for any changes.
    
    
• Email Notifications
  
  
  • Enter a comma-separated list of email addresses that will receive the alerts. This ensures that the relevant team members are promptly informed about potential issues.

Email Notification Setup: SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) settings are crucial for enabling your application to send out emails. This section guides you through configuring these settings, ensuring that emails such as alerts and notifications are delivered to the intended recipients without issues.

1. Accessing SMTP Settings
   
   
   • Default Configuration: If no specific SMTP settings are configured for an application or feature, the system will use the SMTP settings defined under "General Settings."
   • Custom Configuration: You can specify and manage SMTP settings for different applications or features by navigating to General Settings > SMTP Settings. This allows for customization and flexibility in how different parts of your system send emails.
     
     
2. SMTP Settings
   
   

   • Host: The hostname or IP address of your email server. Example: For Gmail, use smtp.gmail.com.

   • Port: The port number your email server uses to accept SMTP communications.
     
     Example:

     • 465 for SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) – a secure connection.

     • 587 for TLS (Transport Layer Security) – a secure connection that starts as plain text before upgrading to a secure connection.

   • Security
     
     
     • None: No security protocol is used.
     • TLS: Secures your emails by starting with a plain text connection that upgrades to a secure connection before exchanging email data.
     • SSL: Provides a secure connection from the start of your email communication.
       
       
   • Username: The username required to authenticate with your email server.
     
     
     For Google email accounts, use your full email address.
   • Password: The password associated with your email server account.
     
     
     Security: Passwords are encrypted to ensure security during transmission and storage.
   • From Email Address: The email address appears in the "From" field when recipients receive your emails. For example: no-reply@your-company-name.com.
     
     
   • From Display Name: The name that appears as the sender when recipients receive your emails. For example: Info No Reply.
     
     
3. Testing Your Configuration
   
   After configuring your SMTP settings, testing them to ensure that emails are sent successfully is important. Click the "Send Test Email" button to verify that your SMTP settings are correctly set up and operational.

Additional method to access APM

To access the System APM with an additional method, follow these steps:

1. Log in as an administrator.
2. Open up the Administrator Bar.
3. Click Monitor.
4. Click Governance Health Check.
5. Check Category: Performance.