Best JBoss Monitoring Tools

The JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (JBoss EAP) and WildFly, formerly known as JBoss Application Server (JBoss AS) are two powerful application servers from the staple of Red Hat. JBoss AS is a subscription-based open-source application server that can host business applications developed in Java. On the other hand, WildFly is a free and open-source application server.

The JBoss EAP and WildFly are widely used for building, deploying, and hosting cross-platform Java applications and services. To ensure high application performance, it is essential to monitor the JBoss EAP/WildFly server, the components it hosts and the infrastructure tiers supporting it. Developers and IT operations teams need this capability to proactively detect performance problems before they impact end-users.

Here is our list of the best JBoss monitoring tools:

  1. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor EDITOR’S CHOICE Observe JBoss and WildFly activity in the context of the Web applications that they support. This tool is also able to scrutinize the activity of other frameworks and languages together with the resources upon which applications depend. Available for Windows Server. Get a 30-day free trial.
  2. ManageEngine Applications Manager (FREE TRIAL) Java memory management and other activity is gathered by this distributed tracing, code profiling, and application dependency map system that collects data from JBoss along with other data sources. Available for Windows Server, Linux, AWS, and Azure. Start a 30-day free trial.
  3. Site24x7 APM (FREE TRIAL) A suite of monitoring tools, hosted in the cloud that includes network, server, and application monitoring with code profiling and JBoss data collection for Java-based functions. Access the 30-day free trial.
  4. Dynatrace An application monitor that correlates activity between software and services and uses AI processes to adjust alert conditions. This is a cloud-based system.
  5. Instana APM A cloud-based system provided by a division of IBM that will scan and map application dependencies, gather system data from tools, such as JBoss, and quickly identify the root cause when performance slips.
  6. Datadog A platform of modules that includes an application monitor with JBoss data collection capabilities. This is a SaaS package.
  7. AppDynamics Monitor all services and applications with this package that can gather data from JBoss and many other technologies. This is a SaaS platform.
  8. eG Enterprise APM Monitor Web apps and supporting infrastructure with this cloud-based service that will access JBoss and JVM data. Also available for installation on Windows.
  9. Atatus APM An APM that includes JBoss diagnosis and fixes as well as wider application monitoring. This is a cloud-based system.
  10. Nagios A system monitoring package for networks, servers, and applications that is available in free and paid versions. Runs on Linux.

In this article, we’re going to review the ten best JBoss/WildFly monitoring tools in the market. Hopefully, this will guide you in the process of choosing the right one for your business.

The best JBoss Monitoring tools

Our methodology for selecting JBoss monitoring tools

We reviewed the market for JBoss monitoring software and analyzed the options based on the following criteria:

  • An application monitor with Web application tracking
  • Examination for JVM activities and Java memory management
  • The ability to access JBoss EAP and/or WildFly data
  • Correlation between Java activity and supporting system resources
  • Root cause analysis to examine the reasons behind performance issues
  • A free trial tor a demo that enables an assessment of the tool before paying
  • Value for money from a service that is able to cover many Web application technologies as well as JBoss

1. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (FREE TRIAL)

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
SolarWinds SAM dashboard

The SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) enables IT Teams to gain visibility into the performance and health of JBoss/WildFly application servers. It comes with lots of out-of-the-box monitoring templates to track vital memory statistics such as memory heap, memory pool, garbage collection, and more across your private, public, and hybrid cloud environments.

Features and capabilities include:

  • Solve memory leaks in Java Runtime Environment
  • Troubleshoot performance issues in the Java environment
  • Monitor critical health indicators on the JBoss platform
  • Monitor server availability and other important performance metrics such as response time, packet loss, and latency
  • Track JBoss server hardware utilization for CPU, memory, and disk, and forecast when you will run out of capacity
  • Monitor hardware components such as fan, temperature, and power supply, and identify failures
  • Get visibility of JBoss server processes and services in real-time, and start/stop/restart them remotely for troubleshooting

One of the key capabilities of this tool is its ability to provide alerts that warn you about critical thresholds impacting the performance of JBoss/WildFly before end-users are impacted.

Register for a 30-day free trial.

EDITOR'S CHOICE

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is our top pick for a JBoss monitoring tool because it is able to track a range of application-supporting technologies, not just those that manage Java systems. As well as accessing JBoss and WildFly data, the SolarWinds system will examine JRE memory activity and JVM executions. This service will scan through both on-premises and cloud services to support efficient application execution and link activity feedback through to server resource availability.

Official Site: https://www.solarwinds.com/server-application-monitor/

OS: Windows Server

You can also look at the Hybrid System Monitoring Pack, which gives you the Virtualization Manager, the Log Analyzer, and the Server Configuration Monitor. This service can track Web applications across platforms and also follow the activities of the platforms that support them. This entire package runs on Windows Server and you can get that whole bundle on a 30-day free trial.

SolarWinds Hybrid Systems Management Bundle Start a 30-day FREE Trial

2. ManageEngine Applications Manager (FREE TRIAL)

ManageEngine Applications Manager
Screenshot showing ManageEngine APM Admin dashboard

ManageEngine Applications Manager (APM) is an enterprise-ready integrated application and server performance monitoring solution that helps organizations ensure optimal performance of their business-critical applications across physical, virtual, and cloud environments. ManageEngine APM was named Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for 2021. The tool provides deep visibility into applications and infrastructure components’ performance, including the ability to detect, diagnose, and resolve network performance issues.

Features and capabilities include:

  • Monitor JBoss database metrics such as JDBC connection pool size, number of connections in use, and number of connections created/destroyed with our JBoss monitor.
  • Monitor memory leaks in the Java runtime, Java heap, and non-heap memory and generate a heap dump to troubleshoot a problem.
  • Mobile web client and the native iPhone app, you can keep tabs on the performance of your JBoss servers on the go using your mobile phones.
  • View performance metrics of Java transactions from the URL down to the SQL query that triggered the performance issue.
  • Out-of-the-box reports that help you perform trend analysis, identify bottlenecks, and plan capacity for your JBoss environment.

ManageEngine APM can detect issues related to the performance of web applications deployed on JBoss as well as components such as Java virtual machine (JVM), Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs), Java database connection pools (JDBC), and servlets.

A free personalized demo and a free 30-day trial are available on request.

ManageEngine Applications manager Start 30-day FREE Trial

3. Site24x7 APM (FREE TRIAL)

Site24x7 APM
Site24x7 APM dashboard showing  JVM metrics

Site24x7 APM is a cloud-based application performance monitoring tool that enables organizations to monitor and analyze the performance of their critical business applications and databases running on various platforms like Java, Node.js, Ruby, PHP, and .NET across cloud, virtual, and physical servers. Site24x7 APM tracks transactions, spots application dependencies, and identifies anomalies in real-time, thereby ensuring a seamless end-user experience.

Site24x7 APM insight provides IT teams with a complete picture of application performance, including Java applications. Site24x7’s Java monitoring tool supports a wide variety of application servers such as WebSphere, WebLogic, JBossEAP, and WildFly. It monitors critical parameters of JVM like JVM CPU usage count, memory usage, GC count, and thread summary. It allows you to configure threshold values for your JVM metrics to get alerted whenever there is an outage.

Site24x7 licensing is based on a monthly or annual subscription model. A free 30-day trial is available on request.

Site24x7 Start 30-day FREE Trial

4. Dynatrace

Dynatrace
Dynatrace dashboard

The Dynatrace is an agent-based on-premises and cloud software intelligence platform that uses AI to deliver infrastructure, application,  and microservices monitoring, among others. The Dynatrace platform provides observability of the full solution stack, including automated problem remediation. Dynatrace was named Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for 2021. The platform consists of OneAgent client app for automated data collection, Smartscape for topology mapping and visualization, PurePath for code-level distributed tracing, and Davis, a proprietary AI engine, for automatic root-cause fault-tree analysis.

Dynatrace monitors and analyzes the activities of JBoss/WildFly application servers, and shows you where your Java application consumes CPU in background threads, schedulers, or other services on JBoss. It also monitors and analyzes the database activities of your Java applications running on JBoss/WildFly, providing visibility down to the individual database statements. The performance metrics you will be able to monitor for JBoss/WildFly include JVM metrics, garbage collection metrics, suspension rate, all database statements, requests, and dependencies.

Dynatrace operates a flexible pricing model that gives you the option for perpetual or annual licensing. A free online demo and a free 15-day trial are available on request.

5. Instana APM

Instana APM
Instana APM dashboard

Instana is a German-American software firm (now part of IBM) that develops Application Performance Management (APM) software. Instana’s range of products covers areas such as enterprise observability, website monitoring, cloud & infrastructure monitoring, microservices monitoring, and application performance monitoring (APM). Instana was also a recipient of the Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for 2021.

Instana APM monitors and fixes application performance issues before they impact end-users. It supports the monitoring and resolution of issues related to WildFly (JBoss AS) and JBoss data grid. Instana also supports both on-premises and cloud-based deployment models. The licensing model is per host/per month and it’s billed annually. A host is considered to be any physical or virtual OS instance that you monitor with Instana. A 14-day free trial is available on request.

6. Datadog 

Datadog
Datadog global performance dashboard

Datadog is a SaaS-based infrastructure performance monitoring service for cloud applications, servers, databases, and other services. Datadog provides IT operations teams real-time visibility into the performance of the infrastructure through a single visual interface. Datadog is agent-based and uses its auto-discovery service to explore and identify devices in your network. The outcome of the auto-discovery service is then used to create a device inventory and network topology map, which forms an index for the complete monitoring service. Once all devices and links have been identified, you can overview all network activity from the Datadog dashboard.

Just like other applications, Datadog has built-in capabilities to integrate with and monitor the performance of JBoss/WildFly applications to aggregate metrics and events. The Datadog Java integration allows IT teams to collect metrics, traces, and logs from your JBoss/WildFly application. You can create custom alerts for any metric or performance problem. Datadog provides high-resolution interactive dashboards to help companies monitor and graph real-time metrics and events.

A free 14-day-trial with full access to all the features is available for download. After that, the software is generally sold through monthly/annual subscription plans based on hosts, events, or logs.

7. AppDynamics

AppDynamics
AppDynamics dashboard showing JBoss memory usage

AppDynamics (now part of Cisco) is a full-stack application performance management software that focuses on managing the performance and availability of applications across on-premise and cloud IT infrastructure environments. The AppDynamics Business Observability Platform provides a comprehensive solution for monitoring and managing the performance of your critical business applications including Java applications. With the AppDynamics Java agents, applications running on JBoss servers are automatically discovered and show up in AppDynamics. Business transactions.

AppDynamics JBoss monitoring tools make it easier for organizations to deploy applications and visualize metrics such as CPU, memory, and disk utilization to ensure optimal application performance in your Java environment. AppDynamics can easily connect to the JMX Server of the JBoss application server to view exposed management beans. It can also access JBoss MBean information to provide an in-depth view of the memory usage within the JVM and JBoss; as well as the JVM environmental information of your application running on JBoss. A free online demo and a free 15-day trial are available on request.

8. eG Enterprise APM 

eG Enterprise APM 
eG Enterprise dashboard showing JBoss/WildFly performance

eG Enterprise is an end-to-end APM and infrastructure monitoring solution that allows enterprises to detect, diagnose, and resolve application performance issues before they impact end-users. It includes both synthetic and Real User Monitoring (RUM) to give you the complete set of metrics required to monitor end-user digital experience as they interact with enterprise applications and services. The software supports agent-based and agentless on-premise, cloud, and hybrid deployment models.

Key features and capabilities include:

  • Provides purpose-built monitoring models for JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) and WildFly.
  • Provides diagnostics for all aspects of JBoss performance including components such as Java transactions, EJB, JSP, Servlets, DataSource, Connectors, JMS Message Queues, JPA, and more
  • Monitors every aspect of JVM performance including CPU, heap and non-heap memory, threads, classes, garbage collection, and more.
  • Tracks all aspects of JVM performance and provides code-level visibility for application performance optimization.
  • The deep performance insights and KPIs about JBoss performance enables IT teams, to troubleshoot faster.

eG Enterprise monitors your entire JBoss/WildFly infrastructure and provides a single-pane-of-glass view of your JVM, web and EJB containers, application code, database connections, and more; giving you actionable insights using alerts, self-learning baseline thresholds, and built-in correlative intelligence.

eG pricing is based on your preferred deployment model which includes SaaS/cloud, subscription, or perpetual license. A free online demo and a free 30-day trial are available on request.

9. Atatus APM

Atatus APM
Atatus JBoss monitoring home page

Atatus is a technology company that develops observability platforms for monitoring and managing enterprise applications. Atatus range of products covers areas such as log monitoring, synthetic, and real user monitoring, infrastructure monitoring, application performance monitoring (APM), among others.

Features and capabilities include:

  • Receive alerts for application errors and exceptions via email, Teams, Slack, PagerDuty, or webhooks.
  • Monitor and view the most time-consuming JBoss database queries
  • Find performance bottlenecks in your JBoss application
  • Diagnose and fix  JBoss/WildFly performance errors
  • Figure out where your  JBoss/WildFly app time is spent
  • Spot and fix  JBoss/WildFly API failures

Atatus APM solution helps IT teams gain visibility into JBoss/WildFly performance in real-time to identify Java performance issues and errors on every business transaction. Atatus JBoss monitoring includes metrics and parameters such as failed HTTP status codes, application crashes, transaction details, slow database queries, poor performing network calls, and lets you see how they are impacting user experience.

A free online demo and a free 14-day trial are available on request.

10. Nagios

Nagios
Screenshot showing Nagios XI dashboard

Nagios is a U.S-based company that delivers IT infrastructure monitoring and management software. Their monitoring solution comes in two editions—Nagios Core and Nagios XI. Nagios Core is an agent-based free and open-source infrastructure monitoring application; while Nagios XI is a GUI-based agentless commercial edition that uses Nagios Core as its back-end.

If you are already using Nagios as a monitoring tool in your environment, you do not need another tool to monitor JBoss/WildFly application servers. Both editions of Nagios provide JBOSS monitoring capabilities. However, for ease of setup and deployment, the Nagios XI edition is recommended. Nagios is capable of monitoring attributes of JBoss/WildFly servers such as memory usage, thread status, and others using the JBoss/WildFly wizard or a plugin so that users may be notified when JBoss/WildFly applications are behaving abnormally.

Nagios XI is available in Standard and Enterprise editions. The Enterprise Edition provides you with features designed to aid in large-scale configuration and deployment. A free online demo and a free 30-day trial are available on request.