Kubernetes and Dynatrace Integration

Input and output integration overview

This plugin captures metrics for Kubernetes pods and containers by communicating with the Kubelet API.

The Dynatrace plugin allows users to send metrics collected by Telegraf directly to Dynatrace for monitoring and analysis. This integration enhances the observability of systems and applications, providing valuable insights into performance and operational health.

Integration details

Kubernetes

The Kubernetes input plugin interfaces with the Kubelet API to gather metrics for running pods and containers on a single host, ideally as part of a daemonset in a Kubernetes installation. By operating on each node within the cluster, it collects metrics from the locally running kubelet, ensuring that the data reflects the real-time state of the environment. Being a rapidly evolving project, Kubernetes sees frequent updates, and this plugin adheres to the major cloud providers’ supported versions, maintaining compatibility across multiple releases within a limited time span. Significant consideration is given to the potential high series cardinality, which can burden the database; thus, users are advised to implement filtering techniques and retention policies to manage this load effectively. Configuration options provide flexible customization of the plugin’s behavior to integrate seamlessly into different setups, enhancing its utility in monitoring Kubernetes environments.

Dynatrace

The Dynatrace plugin for Telegraf facilitates the transmission of metrics to the Dynatrace platform via the Dynatrace Metrics API V2. This plugin can function in two modes: it can run alongside the Dynatrace OneAgent, which automates authentication, or it can operate in a standalone configuration that requires manual specification of the URL and API token for environments without a OneAgent. The plugin primarily reports metrics as gauges unless explicitly configured to treat certain metrics as delta counters using the available config options. This feature empowers users to customize the behavior of metrics sent to Dynatrace, harnessing the robust capabilities of the platform for comprehensive performance monitoring and observability. It’s crucial for users to ensure compliance with version requirements for both Dynatrace and Telegraf, thereby optimizing compatibility and performance when integrating with the Dynatrace ecosystem.

Configuration

Kubernetes

[[inputs.kubernetes]]
  ## URL for the kubelet, if empty read metrics from all nodes in the cluster
  url = "http://127.0.0.1:10255"

  ## Use bearer token for authorization. ('bearer_token' takes priority)
  ## If both of these are empty, we'll use the default serviceaccount:
  ## at: /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token
  ##
  ## To re-read the token at each interval, please use a file with the
  ## bearer_token option. If given a string, Telegraf will always use that
  ## token.
  # bearer_token = "/var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token"
  ## OR
  # bearer_token_string = "abc_123"

  ## Kubernetes Node Metric Name
  ## The default Kubernetes node metric name (i.e. kubernetes_node) is the same
  ## for the kubernetes and kube_inventory plugins. To avoid conflicts, set this
  ## option to a different value.
  # node_metric_name = "kubernetes_node"

  ## Pod labels to be added as tags.  An empty array for both include and
  ## exclude will include all labels.
  # label_include = []
  # label_exclude = ["*"]

  ## Set response_timeout (default 5 seconds)
  # response_timeout = "5s"

  ## Optional TLS Config
  # tls_ca = /path/to/cafile
  # tls_cert = /path/to/certfile
  # tls_key = /path/to/keyfile
  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
  # insecure_skip_verify = false

Dynatrace

[[outputs.dynatrace]]
  ## For usage with the Dynatrace OneAgent you can omit any configuration,
  ## the only requirement is that the OneAgent is running on the same host.
  ## Only setup environment url and token if you want to monitor a Host without the OneAgent present.
  ##
  ## Your Dynatrace environment URL.
  ## For Dynatrace OneAgent you can leave this empty or set it to "http://127.0.0.1:14499/metrics/ingest" (default)
  ## For Dynatrace SaaS environments the URL scheme is "https://{your-environment-id}.live.dynatrace.com/api/v2/metrics/ingest"
  ## For Dynatrace Managed environments the URL scheme is "https://{your-domain}/e/{your-environment-id}/api/v2/metrics/ingest"
  url = ""

  ## Your Dynatrace API token.
  ## Create an API token within your Dynatrace environment, by navigating to Settings > Integration > Dynatrace API
  ## The API token needs data ingest scope permission. When using OneAgent, no API token is required.
  api_token = ""

  ## Optional prefix for metric names (e.g.: "telegraf")
  prefix = "telegraf"

  ## Optional TLS Config
  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
  ## Optional flag for ignoring tls certificate check
  # insecure_skip_verify = false

  ## Connection timeout, defaults to "5s" if not set.
  timeout = "5s"

  ## If you want metrics to be treated and reported as delta counters, add the metric names here
  additional_counters = [ ]

  ## In addition or as an alternative to additional_counters, if you want metrics to be treated and
  ## reported as delta counters using regular expression pattern matching
  additional_counters_patterns = [ ]

  ## NOTE: Due to the way TOML is parsed, tables must be at the END of the
  ## plugin definition, otherwise additional config options are read as part of the
  ## table

  ## Optional dimensions to be added to every metric
  # [outputs.dynatrace.default_dimensions]
  # default_key = "default value"

Input and output integration examples

Kubernetes

1. Dynamic Resource Allocation Monitoring: By utilizing the Kubernetes plugin, teams can set up alerts for resource usage patterns across various pods and containers. This proactive monitoring approach enables automatic scaling of resources in response to specific thresholds—helping to optimize performance while minimizing costs during peak usage.

2. Multi-tenancy Resource Isolation Analysis: Organizations using Kubernetes can leverage this plugin to track resource consumption per namespace. In a multi-tenant scenario, understanding the resource allocations and usages across different teams becomes critical for ensuring fair access and performance guarantees, leading to better resource management strategies.

3. Real-time Health Dashboards: Integrate the data captured by the Kubernetes plugin into visualization tools like Grafana to create real-time dashboards. These dashboards provide insights into the overall health and performance of the Kubernetes environment, allowing teams to quickly identify and rectify issues across clusters, pods, and containers.

4. Automated Incident Response Workflows: By combining the Kubernetes plugin with alert management systems, teams can automate incident response procedures based on real-time metrics. If a pod’s resource usage exceeds predefined limits, an automated workflow can trigger remediation actions, such as restarting the pod or reallocating resources—all of which can help improve system resilience.

Dynatrace

1. Cloud Infrastructure Monitoring: Utilize the Dynatrace plugin to monitor a cloud infrastructure setup, feeding real-time metrics from Telegraf into Dynatrace. This integration provides a holistic view of resource utilization, application performance, and system health, enabling proactive responses to performance issues across various cloud environments.

2. Custom Application Performance Metrics: Implement custom application-specific metrics by configuring the Dynatrace output plugin to send tailored metrics from Telegraf. By leveraging additional counters and dimension options, development teams can gain insights that are precisely aligned with their application’s operational requirements, allowing for targeted optimization efforts.

3. Multi-Environment Metrics Management: For organizations running multiple Dynatrace environments (e.g., production, staging, and development), use this plugin to manage metrics for all environments from a single Telegraf instance. With proper configuration of endpoints and API tokens, teams can maintain consistent monitoring practices throughout the SDLC, ensuring that performance anomalies are detected early in the development process.

4. Automated Alerting Based on Metrics Changes: Integrate the Dynatrace output plugin with an alerting mechanism that triggers notifications when specific metrics exceed defined thresholds. This scenario involves configuring additional counters to monitor crucial application performance indicators, enabling swift remediation actions to maintain service availability and user satisfaction.

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