Mastering Java application monitoring with Applications Manager

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, applications can make a significant impact on the growth of a business. Java is one of the most widely used programming languages for building applications for its flexibility, scalability, and lightweight algorithms. As Java applications grow more complex in dynamic IT environments, integrating with various databases, APIs, and third-party services, comprehensive monitoring becomes critical.

This is where ManageEngine Applications Manager steps in. It provides end-to-end Java performance monitoring that not only helps you detect performance issues but also delivers actionable insights to resolve them quickly.

Why is Java monitoring crucial?

Java applications run on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). While the JVM enhances abstraction and portability, it also adds layers that make it difficult to troubleshoot without the right monitoring solution. Issues like memory leaks, thread deadlocks, slow database calls, or inefficient code execution can impact application performance unexpectedly without proper visibility and monitoring.

Traditional monitoring tools usually run checks for basic availability or response time, but they fall short in providing a deeper view of what is happening inside the JVM. Applications Manager bridges that gap by offering an efficient application performance monitoring (APM) solution crafted for Java applications.

What you get with Applications Manager’s Java monitoring

Applications Manager uses byte-code instrumentation techniques to provide code-level visibility into your Java applications in real time. Here’s what it offers:

JVM health monitoring

At the heart of any Java application lies the JVM. Applications Manager tracks essential JVM parameters, including:

  • Heap and non-heap memory usage.

  • Garbage collection (GC).

  • Thread pools.

  • Class loading and unloading.

  • JVM uptime and CPU consumption.

This helps operations teams identify memory leaks, garbage collection issues, or thread bottlenecks before they lead to application crashes.

Java Application Monitoring - Key performance metrics

Code-level visibility

With its APM module, Applications Manager gives developers a complete breakdown of how their application code behaves under different loads. It captures:

  • Transaction traces: Know which processes are slowing down your transactions.

  • Code-level breakdowns: Identify inefficient code paths and slow algorithms.

  • Third-party service calls: Monitor external dependencies.

  • Error and exception tracking: Quickly detect and resolve runtime issues.

Java application monitoring - APM Insight | ManageEngine Applications Manager

Database query performance

Many Java applications are database-heavy. Slow queries or locked tables affect application response time. Applications Manager helps by:

  • Tracking slow SQL queries.

  • Identifying frequently repeated queries and queries with high wait time.

  • Visualizing correlation between application methods and database calls.

This helps database administrators and backend developers work in synchrony, reducing mean time to resolution.

Thread and deadlock detection

Java applications are multi-threaded by design, seldom leading to deadlocks and excessive thread contention. You can leverage Applications Manager to:

  • View live thread activity.

  • Detect and get alerted about deadlocks.

  • Analyze thread pools and queue sizes.

Custom MBeans and JMX monitoring

For applications that expose custom MBeans, Applications Manager allows you to:

  • Monitor any application-specific metrics via Java Management Extensions (JMX) monitoring.

  • Create alerts based on business logic (e.g., order queue size, user sessions).

  • Visualize these metrics alongside standard performance data.

This is especially useful for custom-built Java systems that follow a domain-driven design.

Set it up in a minute!

Getting started with Java monitoring in Applications Manager is pretty straightforward. You just need to:

  • Install Applications Manager on a central server or VM.

  • Deploy the APM Insight agent into your Java application server by adding a few lines to the startup script.

  • Start your application and watch the data flow into your dashboard in real time.

  • Set up alerts for key metrics to get notified before issues affect end users.

Unified monitoring for all your needs

One of the biggest advantages of Applications Manager is its centralized monitoring interface. It doesn't only monitor Java. It also supports monitoring for over 150 technologies, including:

  • .NET, .NET Core, PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby on Rails applications.

  • Databases (MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, etc.).

  • Web servers and services (Apache, NGINX, REST APIs).

  • Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).

  • Infrastructure components (VMs, containers, network devices).

Java applications need to be fast, reliable, and scalable. Applications Manager helps DevOps teams, SREs, and developers to proactively identify issues, optimize performance, and reduce downtime all from a unified, intuitive interface. Try it for yourself by downloading a 30-day, free trial today!