Sztab Observability: Integrate Java Flight Recorder (JFR) and demonstrate observability using JMC (SZ-7)

rk@tigase.net opened 4 hours ago

🧭 Issue 7: Integrate Java Flight Recorder (JFR) and demonstrate observability using JMC

Description:

Enable and configure Java Flight Recorder (JFR) to capture observability data from the running Sztab application. Provide tooling or scripts to generate and collect .jfr recordings, and validate them using Java Mission Control (JMC). This sets the foundation for identifying performance bottlenecks and debugging concurrency issues.

Tasks:

Enable JFR via JVM options in Docker run or startup script.
Simulate representative load using curl/JMeter.
Collect .jfr recordings and open them in JMC.
Identify and document basic observability signals:
- Hot methods
- Lock contention
- GC pauses
- Allocation hotspots
Optional: Provide environment toggle to enable/disable JFR.

Estimated Time: 4–5 hours

Task	Estimated Time
Add JFR JVM options to Docker run script / startup	~1 hour
Generate example `.jfr` file via startup + traffic	~1 hour
Review `.jfr` with JMC and identify basic metrics	~1 hour
Document usage (README or script)	~1 hour
Optional: Add toggle for JFR-on/off via env var	~30 mins

Goal:

The project should support generating .jfr recordings that can be opened in Java Mission Control (JMC) to analyze performance characteristics and observability signals under load.

Activities

rk@tigase.net commented 4 hours ago
Here is how to activate JFR recordings for view thru Java Mission Control:

Tasks

Enable JFR using JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS in your Dockerfile or Helm chart:
JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS="-XX:StartFlightRecording=filename=/tmp/sztab.jfr,duration=60s,settings=profile"

Record a 60-second trace and output to a temporary file inside the container (/tmp/sztab.jfr)

Add script or instructions to extract the .jfr file:
docker cp <container-id>:/tmp/sztab.jfr ./sztab.jfr

Ensure JVM runs with:
-XX:+FlightRecorder -XX:StartFlightRecording

Sample Usage

Start the app with:

java \ -XX:StartFlightRecording=filename=/tmp/sztab.jfr,duration=60s,settings=profile \ -jar app.jar

Make requests to generate activity:

curl http://localhost:8080/api/issues curl http://localhost:8080/api/projects curl http://localhost:8080/api/users

Copy the file out:

docker cp <container-id>:/tmp/sztab.jfr ./sztab.jfr

What's in the .jfr file?

GC events

Lock contention

Method profiling

Thread states and blocking

Allocation hotspots

Class loading and I/O metrics

We can inspect the recording using Java Mission Control (JMC)

Optional:

Add /actuator/jfr endpoint later (via Spring Actuator JFR plugin)

Integrate JFR recordings into CI-based performance regression suite
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Type	New Feature
Priority	Normal
Assignee	rk@tigase.net
Version	1
Sprints	n/a
Customer	n/a

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Reference

SZ-7

🧭 Issue 7: Integrate Java Flight Recorder (JFR) and demonstrate observability using JMC

Description:

Tasks:

Estimated Time: 4–5 hours

Goal:

Tasks

Sample Usage

What's in the .jfr file?

Optional:

What's in the `.jfr` file?