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Install APM Insight Java Agent in Docker

Follow the steps given below to install Java agent in Docker:

  1. Download the latest APM Insight Java agent (apminsight-javaagent.zip) file.
  2. Extract the zip file to a new directory to find agent jar and its configuration files.
  3. Open the apminsight.conf file in any text editor and include/modify the following keys:

    license.key=[LICENSE KEY]
    apm.host=http://[HOST]:[PORT]
    application.name=[APPLICATION NAME]

    where
    • [LICENSE KEY] - License key obtained from Applications Manager under APM Insight tab.
    • [HOST] - Host at which Applications Manager is running.
    • [PORT] - Port number at which Applications Manager is running.
    • [APPLICATION NAME] - Name of your application.

    Example:

    license.key=APMI_74447444b666d7ab5174cc3021a9b68dd4b3364d50f99c2969360810313e8fac
    apm.host=http://apm-prod-server:9090
    application.name=Docker_Server

    To learn more about the configurations, visit our Configuration Guide page.

    Note: Alternatively, the APM Insight application configuration parameters can also be configured as Java System Properties instead of modifying the apminsight.conf file. Learn more

  4. Now create/modify the image file named Dockerfilein the directory location of your choice and include the following commands into the image file:

    #Creating a new directory 'apminsight' under the specified app directory location
    RUN mkdir -p <APP_DIRECTORY_PATH>/apminsight
    #Adding the agent directory files into the specified app directory path under 'apminsight'
    ADD <Agent_directory_path>/ <APP_DIRECTORY_PATH>/apminsight/
    #Configuring Java agent into the application
    ENV JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -javaagent:<APP_DIRECTORY_PATH>/apminsight/apminsight-javaagent.jar"

    where
    • <APP_DIRECTORY_PATH> - Directory where the application is installed.
    • <Agent_directory_path> - Directory where the Java agent is extracted.
  5. Save the file, rebuild the image and start the container.
Note:
  • You can also configure a secure APM URL. Ensure that the connection is stable and free from certificate-related issues.
    Example: https://apm-prod-server:8443
  • For an Applications Manager failover setup, you can specify multiple hosts in a comma-separated format (supported from Java Agent v6.8), as shown below:
    apm.host=http://apm-prod-server-A:9090, http://apm-prod-server-B:9090

Example:

Following is an example of the commands used for configuring the agent into the image file Dockerfile for Tomcat servers:

FROM tomcat
COPY sample.war /usr/local/tomcat/webapps/
#Add the apminsight and -javaagent parameters
RUN mkdir -p /usr/local/tomcat/apminsight
ADD ./apminsight/ /usr/local/tomcat/apminsight/
ENV JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -javaagent:/usr/local/tomcat/apminsight/apminsight-javaagent.jar"
EXPOSE 8080
CMD ["catalina.sh","run"]

Note: To add the agent to server, the -javaagent argument needs to provided. However, this method is a generic solution and may require some modifications depending on your app server/user environment.

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