Integrating Elastic APM with Kubernetes: Best Practices and Technical Guide for Java , React Apps
Introduction
In today's microservices and containerized application landscape, monitoring and observability are crucial for maintaining system health and performance. Elastic APM (Application Performance Monitoring) provides deep insights into application performance, while Kubernetes offers a powerful container orchestration platform. Integrating Elastic APM into a Kubernetes cluster enables comprehensive monitoring of all services, facilitating proactive issue detection and resolution.
This guide outlines the best practices and technical steps to integrate Elastic APM with a Kubernetes cluster, leveraging verified product capabilities.
Prerequisites
- Kubernetes Cluster: A running Kubernetes cluster.
- Elastic Stack: Access to an existing Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch, Kibana, and APM Server) or readiness to deploy it.
- Kubectl: Installed and configured to interact with your Kubernetes cluster.
- Helm: Installed for deploying applications.
- Security Credentials: Necessary credentials for Elastic Stack components.
Step 1: Deploy the Elastic Stack on Kubernetes
Deploying the Elastic Stack within your Kubernetes cluster ensures low-latency communication between services.
1.1 Add Elastic Helm Repository
helm repo add elastic https://helm.elastic.co
helm repo update
1.2 Create a Namespace for Elastic Stack
kubectl create namespace elastic-system
1.3 Deploy Elasticsearch
Deploy a highly available Elasticsearch cluster using the Helm chart.
helm install elasticsearch elastic/elasticsearch \
--namespace elastic-system \
--set replicas=3 \
--set persistence.enabled=true \
--set volumeClaimTemplate.resources.requests.storage=50Gi
Best Practices:
- Persistence: Enable persistent storage to retain data across pod restarts.
- Resource Allocation: Allocate sufficient CPU and memory according to your workload.
1.4 Deploy Kibana
helm install kibana elastic/kibana \
--namespace elastic-system \
--set service.type=ClusterIP \
--set elasticsearchHosts=http://elasticsearch-master.elastic-system.svc.cluster.local:9200
1.5 Deploy APM Server
helm install apm-server elastic/apm-server \
--namespace elastic-system \
--set service.type=ClusterIP \
--set apmConfig.secret_token="your-secret-token" \
--set output.elasticsearch.hosts="{http://elasticsearch-master.elastic-system.svc.cluster.local:9200}"
Best Practices:
-
Security: Use secure communication (HTTPS) and set a strong
secret_token. - Scaling: Adjust replicas based on load.
Step 2: Configure Network Access and Security
(Refer to the original article for network access and security configuration.)
Step 3: Instrument Applications with Elastic APM Agents
3.1 Select the Appropriate APM Agent
Elastic APM supports several languages:
- Java
- Node.js
- Python
- Ruby
- Go
- .NET
- PHP
- JavaScript (Front-end)
3.2 Java Application (Spring Boot) Configuration
Elastic APM provides a powerful Java agent for monitoring Java applications, including Spring Boot.
Step 1: Download the Java Agent
Download the latest Elastic APM Java agent JAR file from the Elastic APM Java Agent Releases.
Step 2: Add the Java Agent to Your Spring Boot Application
Configure the Java agent by passing it as a -javaagent argument when starting your Spring Boot application.
Example Kubernetes Deployment for Spring Boot:
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: spring-boot-app
spec:
replicas: 1
selector:
matchLabels:
app: spring-boot-app
template:
metadata:
labels:
app: spring-boot-app
spec:
containers:
- name: spring-boot-app
image: spring-boot-app:latest
env:
- name: ELASTIC_APM_SERVICE_NAME
value: "spring-boot-app"
- name: ELASTIC_APM_SERVER_URL
value: "http://apm-server.elastic-system.svc.cluster.local:8200"
- name: ELASTIC_APM_SECRET_TOKEN
valueFrom:
secretKeyRef:
name: apm-secret
key: secret-token
volumeMounts:
- name: apm-agent
mountPath: /elastic-apm
command: ["java", "-javaagent:/elastic-apm/elastic-apm-agent.jar", "-jar", "app.jar"]
volumes:
- name: apm-agent
configMap:
name: elastic-apm-agent-config
Step 3: Configure Spring Boot Application Properties
Add APM settings to your application.properties or application.yml file:
# Elastic APM Configuration
elastic.apm.service_name=spring-boot-app
elastic.apm.server_urls=http://apm-server.elastic-system.svc.cluster.local:8200
elastic.apm.secret_token=your-secret-token
elastic.apm.environment=production
elastic.apm.application_packages=com.example
Best Practices:
- Use Kubernetes Secrets to store sensitive data like
secret_token. - Environment Variables: Configure APM settings through environment variables for easier management.
3.3 React Application Configuration
Elastic APM can also monitor front-end applications such as React, using the Elastic APM RUM (Real User Monitoring) agent.
Step 1: Install the APM RUM Agent
Install the Elastic APM RUM agent via npm:
npm install @elastic/apm-rum
Step 2: Initialize the APM Agent
Create a new file (e.g., apm.js) to initialize the APM agent.
import { init as initApm } from '@elastic/apm-rum';
const apm = initApm({
serviceName: 'react-app',
serverUrl: 'http://apm-server.elastic-system.svc.cluster.local:8200',
secretToken: 'your-secret-token',
environment: 'production',
serviceVersion: '1.0.0' // Set your app version
});
export default apm;
Step 3: Use the APM Agent in Your React App
Import the apm.js file in your main entry point (e.g., index.js or App.js) to start monitoring.
import React from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client';
import App from './App';
import './index.css';
import './apm'; // Import APM initialization file
const root = ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root'));
root.render(
<React.StrictMode>
<App />
</React.StrictMode>
);
Step 4: Monitor User Interactions (Optional)
You can monitor custom transactions or user interactions in your React app.
Example: Monitoring a Custom Transaction
import React, { useEffect } from 'react';
import apm from './apm';
function App() {
useEffect(() => {
const transaction = apm.startTransaction('Page Load', 'page-load');
setTimeout(() => {
transaction.end(); // End transaction after some operation
}, 2000);
}, []);
return <div>Hello, Elastic APM!</div>;
}
export default App;
Best Practices:
- Use APM's distributed tracing to correlate front-end and back-end performance.
- Monitor interactions such as page loads, clicks, or custom events.
Step 4: Automate APM Agent Injection (Advanced)
For large clusters, manually instrumenting each application may not be feasible.
4.1 Use APM Agent Auto-Instrumentation
Some agents support auto-instrumentation via Java agents or environment variables.
For Java Applications:
Add the Java agent to your application without code changes.
containers:
- name: java-app
image: your-java-app-image
env:
- name: ELASTIC_APM_AGENT_JAR_PATH
value: "/elastic-apm/elastic-apm-agent.jar"
volumeMounts:
- name: elastic-apm-agent
mountPath: /elastic-apm
command: ["java", "-javaagent:/elastic-apm/elastic-apm-agent.jar", "-jar", "app.jar"]
volumes:
- name: elastic-apm-agent
configMap:
name: elastic-apm-agent-config
Best Practices:
- Agent Versions: Keep APM agents updated to the latest versions for optimal performance and features.
- Sidecar Containers: Consider using sidecar containers for agents that support it.
4.2 Implement Mutating Admission Webhooks
Automate the injection of APM agents using Kubernetes admission controllers.
Tools:
- kube-mutate: A custom webhook for mutating deployments.
Best Practices:
- Testing: Thoroughly test webhook configurations to prevent unintended side effects.
- Auditing: Maintain audit logs of mutations for compliance and debugging.
Step 5: Enhance Observability with Beats
Elastic Beats are lightweight data shippers for logs and metrics.
5.1 Deploy Filebeat for Log Monitoring
Filebeat collects and forwards logs to Elasticsearch.
Deployment:
helm install filebeat elastic/filebeat \
--namespace elastic-system \
--set daemonset.enabled=true \
--set output.elasticsearch.hosts="{http://elasticsearch-master.elastic-system.svc.cluster.local:9200}"
Best Practices:
- Kubernetes Module: Enable the Kubernetes module in Filebeat for metadata enrichment.
- Processing: Use ingest pipelines for parsing and processing logs.
5.2 Deploy Metricbeat for Metrics Collection
Metricbeat collects system and Kubernetes metrics.
Deployment:
helm install metricbeat elastic/metricbeat \
--namespace elastic-system \
--set daemonset.enabled=true \
--set deployment.enabled=true \
--set output.elasticsearch.hosts="{http://elasticsearch-master.elastic-system.svc.cluster.local:9200}"
Best Practices:
- Node Metrics: Collect metrics from Kubernetes nodes and system components.
- Module Configuration: Enable relevant Metricbeat modules for comprehensive data.
Step 6: Visualize and Analyze Data in Kibana
With data flowing into Elasticsearch, Kibana becomes the central platform for visualization.
6.1 Access the APM Dashboard
Navigate to the APM section in Kibana to view application performance metrics.
Features:
- Service Overview: View high-level metrics for each service.
- Transactions: Analyze request paths and their performance.
- Errors: Investigate exceptions and errors across services.
6.2 Create Custom Dashboards
Utilize Kibana's dashboard capabilities to create custom visualizations.
Best Practices:
- Templates: Use existing templates as a starting point.
- Team Collaboration: Share dashboards with team members.
6.3 Set Up Alerts and Notifications
Configure alerts based on thresholds or anomalies.
Alert Types:
- Latency Threshold: Alert when response times exceed a certain limit.
- Error Rate: Notify when error rates spike.
Best Practices:
- Actionable Alerts: Ensure alerts are meaningful and actionable to avoid alert fatigue.
- Integrations: Integrate with communication tools like Slack or email for notifications.
Resources:
Conclusion
Integrating Elastic APM with a Kubernetes cluster provides detailed insights into both back-end and front-end performance. With specific configurations for Java Spring Boot and React, you can achieve full-stack observability and traceability. By following these best practices, you can enhance system reliability, optimize performance, and improve the overall user experience.
Resources:
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