Show HN: Alaz: Open-Source, Self-Hosted, eBPF-Based K8s Monitoring • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: Alaz: Open-Source, Self-Hosted, eBPF-Based K8s Monitoring

#21

Post by fatihbaltaci » Thu, Sep 07, 2023, 10:37 AM UTC

lfmunoz4 wrote: post #12

Would be good if you offer support / document to not use k8s just run on linux.

Thank you for your valuable feedback. We understand the importance of providing support for non-Kubernetes environments. We have already planned to make Alaz available for direct installation on Linux or Docker without the need for Kubernetes dependency. This feature is currently in development and will be released soon. Stay tuned for the updates!

Re: Show HN: Alaz: Open-Source, Self-Hosted, eBPF-Based K8s Monitoring

#22

Post by fatihbaltaci » Thu, Sep 07, 2023, 10:43 AM UTC

prabhatsharma wrote: post #14

Does it collect traces from compiled as well as scripted languages?

Currently, we don't collect traces from codes. However, we plan to make this feature available soon. Stay tuned for the updates! Currently, Alaz uses eBPF to collect network information from the kernel and correlate it with K8s services to generate a Service Map. In addition, Alaz utilizes Prometheus Node exporter to collect system resources such as CPU, memory, disk, and network from K8s nodes. This data is then sent to the Ddosify Platform for visualization. Our next plan is to collect code traces using eBPF. We understand that collecting code traces for scripted languages can be more challenging than for compiled languages, so we will utilize a hybrid approach using both eBPF and OTEL (Open Telemetry).

Re: Show HN: Alaz: Open-Source, Self-Hosted, eBPF-Based K8s Monitoring

#23

Post by fatihbaltaci » Thu, Sep 07, 2023, 10:52 AM UTC

VectorLock wrote: post #16

Does it generate the Service Map from eBPF traces too? Can you use the Service Map without k8s?

> Does it generate the Service Map from eBPF traces too? Yes, Alaz generates the K8s service map from eBPF kernel trace points. If you wonder about the details and the internal of the system, check Alaz Architecture: https://github.com/ddosify/alaz/blob/master/Alaz-Architectur...

> Can you use the Service Map without k8s? We have already planned to make Alaz available for direct installation on Linux or Docker without the need for K8s. We are developing this feature now and will be released soon. Stay tuned for the updates!

Re: Show HN: Alaz: Open-Source, Self-Hosted, eBPF-Based K8s Monitoring

#24

Post by gregwebs » Thu, Sep 07, 2023, 11:23 AM UTC

Netdata also has an eBPF collector. https://learn.netdata.cloud/docs/data-collection/linux-syste...

Re: Show HN: Alaz: Open-Source, Self-Hosted, eBPF-Based K8s Monitoring

#25

Post by fatihbaltaci » Thu, Sep 07, 2023, 1:39 PM UTC

rounakdatta wrote: post #17

The one similar product I had come across is Kubeshark ( https://github.com/kubeshark/kubeshark ). But admittedly the eBPF way seems more performant theoretically (given you can afford to have a modern-enough kernel). I'm really excited to see how this project develops out. The eBPF-mode of innovation is pretty exciting, truly a fresh lens to building software. I'm also following Akita Software - the company building…

Absolutely! Both Akita and Kubeshark have made significant contributions with their innovative approaches. However, Alaz - Ddosify stands out from the rest due to its effortless integration with the Ddosify Observability Platform (Cloud and Self-Hosted). This integration not only enables users to monitor their applications within the cluster but also to generate load tests for their applications that run in the cluster to spot glitches instantly. Moreover, the platform offers a unified dashboard that displays both the cluster and application performance metrics, service maps, and actionable insights (such as detecting zombie services), providing a comprehensive view of the system. Alaz is incredibly easy to set up by installing a DaemonSet into the cluster. We have many exciting developments planned for Kubernetes monitoring! With the help of our community, we are prioritizing the features on our roadmap. Thank you for your valuable input.

Re: Show HN: Alaz: Open-Source, Self-Hosted, eBPF-Based K8s Monitoring

#26

Post by prabhatsharma » Thu, Sep 07, 2023, 1:49 PM UTC

fatihbaltaci wrote: post #22

prabhatsharma wrote: post #14

Does it collect traces from compiled as well as scripted languages?

Currently, we don't collect traces from codes. However, we plan to make this feature available soon. Stay tuned for the updates! Currently, Alaz uses eBPF to collect network information from the kernel and correlate it with K8s services to generate a Service Map. In addition, Alaz utilizes Prometheus Node exporter to collect system resources such as CPU, memory, disk, and network from K8s nodes. This data is then sen…

I am really curious, why build another project that has similar features as another open source software pixie - https://px.dev/.

Re: Show HN: Alaz: Open-Source, Self-Hosted, eBPF-Based K8s Monitoring

#27

Post by fatihbaltaci » Thu, Sep 07, 2023, 3:11 PM UTC

prabhatsharma wrote: post #26

fatihbaltaci wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Currently, we don't collect traces from codes. However, we plan to make this feature available soon. Stay tuned for the updates! Currently, Alaz uses eBPF to collect network information from the kernel and correlate it with K8s services to generate a Service Map. In addition, Alaz utilizes Prometheus Node exporter to collect system resources such as CPU, memory, disk, and network from K8s nodes. This data is then sen…

I am really curious, why build another project that has similar features as another open source software pixie - https://px.dev/ .

Pixie is great, but Alaz stands out due to its effortless integration with the Ddosify Observability Platform (Cloud and Self-Hosted), allowing native integration of K8s Observability and Performance Testing.

Re: Show HN: Alaz: Open-Source, Self-Hosted, eBPF-Based K8s Monitoring

#28

Post by fatihbaltaci » Thu, Sep 07, 2023, 4:08 PM UTC

prabhatsharma wrote: post #15

How is it different than pixie?

To accurately assess the performance of your system, it is required to generate data that can help identify any bottlenecks. To achieve this, you can use third-party performance testing tools and correlate the resulting data with monitoring data. Alaz uses eBPF technology, similar to Pixie, to collect system data which it then sends to the Ddosify Platform - whether on the cloud or self-hosted. In Ddosify, Observability and Performance-testing are natively integrated, so you can view any performance bottlenecks in real-time without the need for correlating the performance-testing and observability data. It's all in one platform and there will be additional features soon based on community feedback.