I was wondering if someone can shed some lights on the application monitoring and alerting solution that's being used to specifically monitor the Azure app service. We have multiple API apps running on App service service and we would like to monitor certain metrics (ex: Availability, response time, number of request received, etc). I enabled the application insight on each of these apps and the result is quite promising, it fulfills all my requirement, but there's one small issue: I need to scroll through each app to see their performance. I can't aggregate them all in one space. I would like to create a centralized dashboard for all aforementioned metrics and have them displayed. I tried using OMS but it seems to be lacking a lot of functionality.
Any pointer would be very appreciated.
I wrote recently about it on our blog: http://predica.pl/blog/azure-monitoring-and-auditing/ - you will find link to MS documentation also there.
If you are using App Insights already you should be able to pick things from App Insights and put it on the Azure portal dashboard. Other than that probably getting data into Power Bi application insight is your best shot - https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/powerbi-content-pack-application-insights/
Related
Im new to Azure. I have an App service that has Application Insight enabled. Im trying now to understand what Diagnotics Settings is and what it can be used for.
It seems like most of what Diagnotics Settings does can be done through Application Insights.
Is this correct or am I misunderstanding the purpose behind Diagnotics Settings?
There are some (major) differences. From the docs:
Platform logs in Azure, including the Azure Activity log and resource logs, provide detailed diagnostic and auditing information for Azure resources and the Azure platform they depend on. Platform metrics are collected by default and typically stored in the Azure Monitor metrics database.
Now, when we are talking about auditing information and activity logs, that is something that Application Insights (AI) cannot do. Also, AI is geared towards applications whereas Diagnostics Settings is used to emit information about azure platform resources. AI allows you to send custom telemetry and also can track a lot more detailed information.
I assume you ask this question in the context of an Azure Web App or Azure Function. I'd recommend to enable both. AI has a lot more to offer than Diagnostics Settings when it comes to detailed information about how your application is behaving.
What is the use case for Azure application insights or log analytics?
I am using APIM and Azure Functions and want to perform logging for requests. Which one is the best fit, application insights or log analytics?
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/azure/azure-monitor/overview
Update
In particular, any info on Azure application insights vs log analytics used for APIM?
What used to be known as Application Insights and Log Analytics independent offerings - are now a part of Azure Monitor. We're actively merging both platforms.
For instance, Analytics exploration part is exactly the same (same backend, same UX, same capabilities, just different data schema). Alerts are the same. Some experiences are still different (for instance, app experiences such as Application Map).
Example: in Azure Monitor Overview (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/azure/azure-monitor/overview):
"Log Analytics" is referred as a feature and not what used to be known as Log Analytics as a product. For instance, Application Insights resources provide the same "Log Analytics" feature.
For Azure Functions / APIM the native integration with Azure Monitor is through Application Insights.
Update (October, 2020). Application Insights can now store data in Log Analytics workspaces. Now many workspace related features are available to Application Insights resources. How to migrate.
Azure function better to go with application insights and if you working with kubernetes cluster choose Log analytics work space
Azure Functions offers built-in integration with Azure Application Insights to monitor functions.
So for azure function, you'd better use application insights, which is easy configure.
Details are here.
Application Insights
Application Insights is an Application Performance Management (APM) service, that you use to monitor your application. It helps to detect performance anomalies, has analytic abilities, and can help you understand how users interact with your application.
Not only can it collect telemetry data from your application, but it can also collect information from the application host, Azure Diagnostics, or Docker logs. It’s also nice that you can use Application Insights to set up tests that send requests to your website/service to check for availability (and receive a notice if these fail).
One of the most powerful things that I’ve noticed in my use of Application Insights (which is monitoring this blog), is the Smart Detection feature. This feature proactively analyzes and detects changes in your application. So even if you hadn’t set up an Alert of monitoring of a specific metric, it can pick it up and react to it.
Is it possible to use the application insights profiler on azure functions? Either via the portal or a more manual means.
I haven't found a way in the portal and I haven't seen explicit documentation stating either way nor github tickets.
I'd assume probably not, as many of the automagic features of application insights don't seem to be supported yet.
If it's not possible, out of interest is it because of the azure functions sandbox not giving enough permissions for profiling?
If it's not possible, out of interest is it because of the azure functions sandbox not giving enough permissions for profiling?
The application insights profiler is just supported in web app. The Azure function belongs to function app. So you can not use profiler in Azure function.
Profiler currently works for ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core web apps that are running on Web Apps.
If you want to suggest Microsoft to add some new features like app insights profiler in app insights in azure function, you could put your suggestion in Github.
Next steps
Application Insights is now GA’d and ready for production workloads. We’re also listening for any feedback you have. Please file it on our GitHub. We’ll be adding some new features like better sampling controls and automatic dependency tracking soon.
I want to explore OMS (especially Service Map) for Azure webApps, but it shows following error, "In order to on-board a server to Service Map, the Microsoft Dependency Agent needs to be installed on a server being monitored by OMS. Documentation can be found".
Alos, Microsoft claims that 'Monitor service' is used to view the data across multiple subscriptions, resource group etc. But when I view Metrics, it requires 'Resource Name'. Although comments says, 'select or all resources', but It does not give option to select all.
I think it's too late but here it goes, Application insight is what you will need to get the metrics, Have you looked at it as an option?
OMS, is more useful when you are running stuff on Infrastructure as service resources not on Paas/Saas, I guess because the shared responsibility monitoring etc is different in such environment & PaaS/SaaS should already have means to log, monitor & alert.
Though there is workaround to integrate your app for logging that I am aware of, All you need to do integrate the log analytics for your app service, from there you can setup alerting etc.
Installing agent on shared service would never work out, considering there will be other neighbors using the resources however dedicated instances of app will give you greater flexibility.
Thanks
I am using Azure Web Apps to host my website. The website is loaded from a native apps for iOS and Android. During normal days non peak time , the web is operating as expected. However, from time to time , we are going to push out notification via apns or google gcm and that will drive users back to the apps. From there, content will be loaded from the website which is hosted from the Azure Web Apps.
During this peak times where there are thousands of requests coming in, there will be very high degree of fallout which results in errors.
It is shown in the picture below .
Traffic of the web apps after the push notification blasts
I have make sure that the database will not have any bottleneck during the operation. We are using SQL from Azure as well.
From the new portal, we are using service tier 'S1' for the App Services.
Previously, when the apps are developed, Web Apps and Mobile Services are separate service which are now join to become App Services.
Is there anything I could adjust from the azure backend or there is something which I missed out to handle ? Currently , we are also making the instance to be auto scaling.
As in conclusion, during high concurrent requests rushing in, the web apps seems to stop responding.
I would propose to implement the retry logic if there is no such yet and troubleshoot using the different modes.
UPD:
There is a detailed "analyzing performance" official guidance here - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/app-service-web-troubleshoot-performance-degradation/ .
The most simple way to understand (or just mitigate) if the issue if somehow related to the underlying backend (throttling etc) is to change the mode site is working in. In your case, it can be S or even P.
Next step, if we eliminate the possibility of the throttling/etc, is to implement the diagnostics. My favourite tool is Application Insights, there is New Relic and other great tools as well. There are good guidances i saw and used:
http://www.asp.net/aspnet/overview/developing-apps-with-windows-azure/building-real-world-cloud-apps-with-windows-azure/monitoring-and-telemetry
https://github.com/mspnp/performance-optimization/blob/master/Assessing-System-Performance-Against-KPI.md#insertlink#
So, there is not silver answer about your question - highload is highload :-) Without access to the sources and website, and load tests results it is difficult to say what component of the project behaves itself bad.
If that is the helpful answer, please mark it as a helpful or as the answer. Thanks!