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Kubernetes

Motadata APM supports Kubernetes-based application instrumentation using a Kubernetes Operator and OTEL-powered agents. This enables automatic trace collection from containerized workloads running inside a Kubernetes cluster.

Kubernetes instrumentation extends existing Bare Metal and Docker-based APM capabilities to cloud-native environments, enabling multi-language observability across pods and namespaces.

Go to Menu > Settings > APM > Application Registration.

From the Application Registration screen, select the instrumentation type:

  • Kubernetes

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure the following requirements are met:

  • Helm version: 3.9 or higher
  • Kubernetes version: v1.24 or higher
  • Valid SSL certificates (for secure communication)
  • Internet access (for operator deployment)

Kubernetes Instrumentation Configuration

Step 1: Select Cluster Name

Choose the Kubernetes cluster where applications are running. If no cluster is available you need to create it by clicking the Add icon.

Once the cluster is selected, the UI dynamically enables the next configuration steps.

Step 2: Apply Certificate Manager

To enable secure communication between the cluster and Motadata APM:

  • Execute the certificate deployment command displayed under Certificate Manager section.
kubectl apply -f https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/latest/download/cert-manager.yaml

You need to run this command on your main Kubernetes node to install cert-manager, which helps manage security certificates.

Step 3: Deploy Motadata Operator

Run the operator installation command displayed under the Deploy Motadata Operator. This command installs the Motadata Operator, Motadata Instrumentation Custom Resources, and Motadata APM Agent in your Kubernetes cluster and enable monitoring and auto-instrumentation.

Step 4: Application Mapping

After successful operator deployment, you need to click the refresh icon for the displayed grid of Application Name, Language, and Namespace. This action displays detected Kubernetes workloads.

note

If the application does not display a programming language, choose the appropriate language manually and Motadata will generate a specific instrumentation command for the selected application.

info

The following languages are supported for Kubernetes-based instrumentation.

LanguageVersion
Java8 and higher
.NET8 and 9
NodeJS18.19.0 and higher
Python3.9 and higher

You need to copy the command displayed under the Run below Command section and paste it in the Kubernetes main node to map the application.

Click Save button to apply configuration.

Verification

Once the Application is Running:

  • Confirm that the service has been registered successfully.
  • On the service registration screen, the service trace collection Status should display "Running."
  • The traces will start appearing in the APM Explorer screen.