Streamline APM Log Forwarding for Java Services with One-Click Install

In today's fast-paced development environment, incidents can strike without a moment's notice. Oftentimes developers may not have the necessary data at their disposal to properly troubleshoot and debug the situation. To address this, New Relic is rolling out an enhancement to our existing server-side configuration (SSC), allowing Java developers to easily control when and how they send application logging data without needing to make manual code changes and pull requests (PRs). Now, Java developers can easily turn on application performance monitoring (APM) logging directly through the UI to access logs when needed

Introducing one-click APM logging install for Java

We’re excited to announce that New Relic now extends the ability to turn on and off APM logging for Java directly from the UI. With New Relic one-click APM log forwarding, you get:

• Easy activation: Users with appropriate access can turn on APM log forwarding for Java services (v7.6.0 or higher) directly from the APM UI.
• Flexible controls: Leverage existing SSC controls to toggle APM logging on or off as needed.
• Enhanced customization: Improved SSC controls allow users to opt-in or opt-out of managing individual configurations, providing more flexibility of this existing functionality.

Why choose New Relic APM logging

Modern application debugging requires more than just error messages—it demands context. The New Relic APM logging solution provides developers with the tools they need to quickly identify and resolve issues in their Java applications. Here's why our approach stands out:

• Real-time debugging capabilities: Access logs with full transaction context exactly when you need them, enabling faster root cause analysis during critical incidents.
• Logs in context: Go from application logs to distributed traces to transaction data all in context of each other.
• Zero code changes required: Enable logging without deploying new code or waiting for PR approvals, significantly reducing time-to-resolution during incidents.

Getting started with one-click APM logging

Implementing New Relic one-click APM logging is straightforward. To begin using this feature, ensure your environment meets these simple requirements:

1. Java services running version 7.6.0 or higher.
2. Account-level logging enabled.
3. Local configuration through the newrelic.js file; incompatible with environment variables.
4. Works to turn on logs when they are turned off in the local configuration file.
5. Admin privileges to turn on logging.

If these prerequisites are met, follow these steps: 

Step 1: From the APM list, select your service.

Step 2: In the secondary left-hand navigation, under Settings, select Application. 

Step 3: Turn on the main Server Side Configuration (SSC) toggle.

Step 4: Next to Application Log Forwarding, select the ON radio option.

Step 5: Under the Application Log Forwarding section, select the radio option for ON 

Step 6: Select Save and logs should appear within a couple minutes. 

Real-world impact

The ability to instantly enable logging during an incident can dramatically improve mean time to resolution (MTTR). Consider this common scenario: Your team receives an alert about increased error rates in your payment processing service. Instead of scrambling to deploy logging changes through your CI/CD pipeline, your on-call engineer can now enable detailed logging with a single click, immediately gaining visibility into the issue.

Looking ahead

This enhancement to our Java APM logging capabilities is just the beginning. We're committed to continuously improving our Intelligent Observability Platform to make debugging and monitoring more efficient for development teams. Stay tuned for more updates as we expand these capabilities to additional languages and services.

To take advantage of this new function, users just need to go to their APM service and turn on logging through the UI.