The evolving technology sector has created the need for containerized infrastructure. As the shift to this technology begins, more advanced monitoring becomes necessary. More granular, geography-aware, and real-time website monitoring is needed, which is more important than ever.
What Is Containerized Infrastructure?
Containerized infrastructure refers to packaging software code that bundles all the files and libraries necessary to run on any infrastructure. In a traditional setting, you would have to install a version of code that matched your machine’s operating system.
With containerization, you can create a single software package–or a container–that runs on all types of devices and the operating systems they use. With benefits including portability, scalability, fault tolerance, and agility, containerized environments help build self-sufficient software packages that perform consistently regardless of what they run on. This is especially useful in software as a service (SaaS) products.
The Complexity of Monitoring in Containerized Environments
The adaptation of containers within virtual environments has changed how applications are not just deployed but managed. Unlike the virtual machines (VMs) typically used, containers can multiply more quickly, creating more significant monitoring challenges.
Traditional monitoring approaches that initially worked for VMs can no longer keep pace with systems that utilize containerized environments. The microservices that typically accompany container adoption can become further complicated as applications become distributed across dozens, and sometimes even hundreds, of containerized services.
At a time when 90% of global enterprises and one in five apps will turn to containerized applications by 2026, it is no longer simply about monitoring just the application layer within the network. Teams need visibility into APIs, Java runtimes, and endpoints to maintain quality and troubleshoot issues, which will be required as new technology evolves.
Why Location-Specific Monitoring Matters
Global services require infrastructure that is local to the service. A service running flawlessly in North America may experience latency or outages when accessed from alternate locations, such as Asia or Africa.
Geographic monitoring capabilities are necessary to enable teams to identify if an issue within their network is global or regional. This knowledge can make finding a problem easier and the resolution more efficient.
What Makes a Monitoring Tool Dev-Friendly
Continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) environments can have fluctuating needs. As a result, fixed-tier piercing provides predictability that usage-based models cannot. This prevents monitoring costs from running rampant during high-activity periods, making overall expenses more affordable.
Specific tools like synthetic monitoring can also ensure a company’s safety.
Mechanisms that allow people to work in fast-paced environments are also crucial for monitoring tools. For those who work in fast-paced environments, immediate alerts in popular programs like Slack, or even email and webhook notifications, could mean the difference between a minor incident and a major outage occurring within the network.
Why Container Monitoring Isn’t Just About Containers
A container monitoring solution that is not only comprehensive but effective requires one to look beyond container health. Modernized applications interact with numerous dependencies and services. Because of this, a service should include services such as:
- API endpoint monitoring, which ensures that service-to-service communications remain healthy.
- SSL certificate monitoring helps prevent unexpected certificate expirations that can bring down adjacent services.
- Incident management workflows that streamline responses when issues occur.
Real-World DevOps Impact
Teams that implement website uptime monitoring software that is tied to specific applications gain the ability to isolate issues in a way that is faster than those relying on more generalized monitoring. This targeted approach can reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR) and improve service reliability.
Containerized development and the software that can be used to monitor it have outpaced the capabilities of tools that came before. Those working in today’s environments require visibility that matches an infrastructure’s scale and speed, and they must concentrate on not just raw data but also information that can inform decision-making processes.
Modern solutions provide this type of crucial context. This can allow teams to shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive management, especially when productivity, security, and usability are affected.