Operations | Monitoring | ITSM | DevOps | Cloud

January 2025

MySQL Monitoring: Open-Source vs. Commercial Tools

MySQL is the backbone of many applications, and keeping it running smoothly is essential. But monitoring MySQL isn’t just about tracking CPU usage or checking if the database is up. It’s about understanding queries, indexing, slow queries, and resource utilization to ensure performance never takes a hit. This guide walks through everything you need to know to monitor MySQL effectively.

JMX Monitoring: Your Go-To Guide for Java Application Management

When it comes to monitoring Java applications, JMX (Java Management Extensions) plays a pivotal role. If you're looking to optimize your app’s performance, understand its behavior, and troubleshoot issues in real-time, JMX monitoring is a tool you'll want to understand inside and out.

Rails Logger: How to Customize, Configure, and Optimize Your Logs

When it comes to Rails development, logging isn’t just about tracking what’s happening in your app. It’s a lifeline for developers, helping you catch bugs, monitor performance, and keep your code running smoothly in production. In this guide, we’ll cover everything from the basics to some cool tips that are often overlooked.

Kubernetes Pods vs Nodes: What Sets Them Apart

Kubernetes has revolutionized how we manage containerized applications, bringing scalability, reliability, and flexibility to the forefront. Two fundamental components of Kubernetes are Pods and Nodes, and understanding their differences is crucial for anyone working with Kubernetes clusters. While most people are familiar with these terms, a deeper dive into the specifics can help you optimize your Kubernetes setup and avoid common pitfalls.

OpenMetrics vs OpenTelemetry: A Detailed Comparison

When it comes to monitoring and observability, two of the most discussed standards are OpenMetrics and OpenTelemetry. While both are designed to collect and transmit metrics, they have distinct goals, use cases, and communities driving their development. In this guide, we'll break down what each of these projects is, how they compare, and how they fit into your monitoring stack.

Pod Exec in K8s: Advanced Exec Scenarios and Best Practices

Remember using SSH to access servers? It was the go-to method for troubleshooting or making changes to a system. But in the world of containers, SSH doesn't quite fit. Kubernetes and containers work differently; they're dynamic and spun up and down frequently. That’s where kubectl exec comes in. It lets you run commands inside a pod directly, without needing to rely on SSH or worry about the pod being ephemeral. It’s simple and fits the nature of modern, containerized environments.

What Are Syslog Levels and Why Should You Care?

Syslog is a foundational part of logging in Linux and Unix-based systems, helping engineers efficiently capture and analyze system events. Among its core components, syslog levels play a crucial role in categorizing logs based on their severity. Understanding these levels can significantly improve troubleshooting, monitoring, and alerting strategies.

RUM: Key Metrics and How to Measure Them

User experience (UX) is key to success. To ensure your web or mobile app performs well, RUM (Real User Monitoring) helps you track real-time interactions with actual users. It gives you valuable insights into how your audience experiences your product. In this guide, we’ll explore what RUM monitoring is, why it matters, and how it can help boost performance and user satisfaction.

IoT Monitoring: Why It Matters and How to Do It Right?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a reality that’s transforming industries, businesses, and everyday life. With billions of connected devices generating vast amounts of data, managing and monitoring these devices effectively has become a critical task for businesses seeking to optimize operations, enhance security, and ensure seamless performance.

TCP Monitoring Made Simple: Keep Your Network in Check

TCP monitoring works behind the scenes, ensuring smooth data transfers and reliable communication between devices. Without it, troubleshooting slow connections or dropped packets becomes a guessing game. In this blog, we’ll break down why TCP monitoring is crucial, how it works, and some key insights to help optimize your network performance and speed up troubleshooting.

Error Logs: What They Are, Why They Matter, and How to Use Them

Whether managing a web application, monitoring an API, or tracking system performance, error logs are your first defense in troubleshooting and improving your systems. However, understanding them beyond the basics can make all the difference in diagnosing complex issues and enhancing the overall user experience. In this in-depth guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about error logs, including how to read them, why they matter, and some tricks to make them work for you.

An Easy Guide to OpenTelemetry Environment Variables

When working with OpenTelemetry, environment variables play a crucial role in configuring and customizing your setup. These variables provide a flexible and convenient way to adjust settings without needing to change code, allowing you to fine-tune your OpenTelemetry installation across different environments.

Datadog Pricing: All your Questions Answered

When it comes to monitoring and observability tools, Datadog is often one of the first names that comes to mind. But while Datadog’s features are widely discussed, its pricing often remains a topic of confusion. How much does Datadog cost, and what factors influence your bill? This guide breaks down Datadog pricing to help you better understand its structure, hidden nuances, and whether it’s the right fit for your needs.

7 Leading Network Monitoring Tools for Enterprises

Ensuring your enterprise network runs smoothly is key to both productivity and security. As businesses rely more on connected devices, applications, and cloud services, network monitoring has become a vital part of IT infrastructure. Enterprise network monitoring tools offer valuable insights into the health, performance, and security of your network. In this blog, we'll explore enterprise network monitoring tools, their benefits, how to choose the right one and highlight 7 popular options.

OpenTelemetry Collector with Docker: A Detailed Guide

Monitoring and observability have become the backbone of reliable software systems. OpenTelemetry, a CNCF project, has gained immense traction as the go-to framework for collecting and exporting telemetry data. But what makes it even more powerful is its Collector—a vendor-agnostic tool that simplifies data processing. Combine that with Docker, and you’ve got a robust, portable, and scalable observability solution.

OpenTelemetry Profiling: A Look into Performance Insights

In software development, making sure your apps perform well is key. Performance issues, hidden delays, and wasted resources can quickly hurt user experience and increase costs. That’s where OpenTelemetry profiling steps in to help. In this blog, we’ll break down what OpenTelemetry profiling is, why it’s important, and how you can use it to optimize your applications.

How to Use the Laravel Scheduler for Task Management

We all know time is precious, especially when your application relies on tasks that need to be done repeatedly. The Laravel Scheduler is the tool that helps you automate and manage those tasks effortlessly. But how does it work, and what makes it so powerful? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get started.

A Complete Guide to Threat Hunting: Tools and Techniques

Today, threat hunting has emerged as a proactive defense strategy. No longer is it sufficient to rely solely on reactive measures; identifying and mitigating potential threats before they cause damage is now the name of the game. And the key to effective threat hunting? The right tools. This blog takes you through all about threat-hunting, the right tools, their capabilities, and why they’re indispensable in cybersecurity.

Getting Started with the OpenTelemetry Helm Chart in K8s

Managing observability in cloud-native environments can feel like juggling a thousand things at once. OpenTelemetry makes this easier by becoming a favorite among developers for collecting, processing, and exporting telemetry data without breaking a sweat. Now, let’s talk about the OpenTelemetry Helm Chart. It’s like having a shortcut button for deploying OpenTelemetry in Kubernetes.

Everything You Should Know About OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib

Observability isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential. OpenTelemetry steps in as a unified framework that helps you collect, process, and export telemetry data across distributed systems. The OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib extends this framework, offering extra components that make it even more powerful and flexible, helping developers and operators monitor and optimize systems with ease.

SLF4J vs Log4j: Key Differences and Choosing the Right One

When building robust, maintainable, and scalable Java applications, logging plays an essential role in debugging, monitoring, and ensuring smooth performance. Two of the most widely used logging frameworks in the Java ecosystem are SLF4J and Log4j. While both serve similar purposes, they offer different approaches and features, making it important to understand their differences before making a choice.

Serilog: Configuration, Error Handling & Best Practices

When building modern.NET applications, logging is one of those things you don’t want to get wrong. Serilog steps in as a popular logging framework that has earned its spot as a go-to tool for developers. Why? Because it’s flexible, versatile, and does an awesome job of giving you clear insights into your app's behavior. But what exactly is Serilog?

How to Build a Cloud Strategy That Works for Your Business

As technology advances at lightning speed, more and more businesses are turning to the cloud to boost growth, improve efficiency, and stay ahead of the competition. However creating a cloud strategy that matches your business goals, budget, and security needs can be tricky. It’s not just about switching to the cloud—it’s about using it wisely to get the most out of it.

What is Single Pane of Glass Monitoring and How It Works

Monitoring your systems can feel like keeping track of a million moving parts. Logs, metrics, traces—the constant flow of data can quickly turn into a whirlwind. Making sense of it all can be overwhelming, but that's where a single pane of glass monitoring helps. In this post, we're going to break down what a single pane of glass monitoring means, why it's so important, and how it can make your life easier by giving you a clearer view of your systems.

Log Levels: Different Types and How to Use Them

When you're working with logs in software development, one key thing to understand is log levels. They help us organize log messages, making it easier to find and analyze the most important ones. In this guide, we'll walk through what log levels are, why they matter, and how to use them effectively. Let’s get started!

Node.js Worker Threads Explained (Without the Headache)

Node.js has gained popularity for its event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, which excels at handling multiple tasks simultaneously. However, despite its single-threaded nature, Node.js faces limitations when it comes to CPU-intensive tasks. Worker threads provide a solution to this challenge. In this guide, we’ll explore what worker threads are, how they work, and how to use them effectively in your Node.js applications.

Cloudcraft: A Simple Tool for Cloud Architecture Design

Cloudcraft is a tool that lets cloud architects design and visualize cloud infrastructure. It acts as a digital canvas, helping you map out everything from simple diagrams to complex systems. If you’re working on a project plan or brainstorming ideas, Cloudcraft makes it easier to see how all the pieces come together. In this post, we’ll talk about what makes Cloudcraft useful for cloud professionals and how to get the most out of it.

CloudWatch Metrics: Key Features, Working & Cost Management

When it comes to monitoring and managing applications and infrastructure on AWS, CloudWatch Metrics is your best friend. CloudWatch helps you track key metrics in real time, providing the data you need to maintain system performance, troubleshoot issues, and gain deeper insights into your environment. But like most things in AWS, it can take some getting used to. To help you make the most of CloudWatch Metrics, we've put together this comprehensive guide.

How to Set Up and Manage Cron Jobs in Node.js: Step-by-Step Guide

Cron jobs are an essential tool for automating repetitive tasks in backend development. Whether you're running scheduled tasks like sending out emails, cleaning up databases, or performing regular backups, a cron job in Node.js can handle the heavy lifting. In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know about cron jobs in Node.js, from setup to execution.

gRPC vs HTTP vs REST: Which is Right for Your Application?

When building modern applications, choosing the right communication protocol is crucial for performance, scalability, and ease of integration. Among the most common options, gRPC, HTTP, and REST often come up in discussions, each with its strengths and weaknesses. But how do you know which one to use? Let’s break it down in this comprehensive comparison.

Docker vs Docker Swarm: Key Differences Explained

Docker has transformed how we deploy, manage, and scale applications. As applications grow in complexity, the need for effective orchestration increases. This is where Docker Swarm comes into play. Docker’s native clustering and orchestration tool simplifies the management of multi-container applications. Together, Docker and Docker Swarm form a powerful combination for building and scaling modern, distributed systems.