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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)

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.

helm repo add motadata-charts https://motadata2025.github.io/motadata-helm-charts/
helm repo update

      helm upgrade --install motadata-operator motadata-charts/opentelemetry-operator \
  --namespace motadata-operator-np \
  --create-namespace \
  --version 0.99.2 \
  --set manager.image.tag=v0.138.0 \
  --set fullnameOverride=motadata-operator

helm upgrade --install motadata-cr-instrumentation motadata-charts/motadata-cr-instrumentation --set exporter.endpoint=http://172.16.15.218:4318  --set clusterName='k8s.cluster.name={your-cluster}'

helm upgrade --install motadata-apm-agent motadata-charts/motadata-apm-agent \
    --set env.motadataServerUrl="http://172.16.15.218:9433/kubernetes/cluster" --set env.clusterName="{your-cluster}"
info

The {your-cluster} field will be replaced by the cluster name selected by you in the first step.

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, the grid of Application Name, Language, and Namespace gets displayed. This action displays detected Kubernetes workloads.

Once the applications are listed, you can use the Search option to find a specific application. You can also use the Namespace filter to narrow down the application list for easier access.

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. If you select Application Name associated with C++ Language, then you can follow the below Setup Instructions to map the application.

Setup Instructions​

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.