Question 1

How do I set up Beaker to visualize metrics in my Phoenix app?

Accepted Answer

Add Beaker as a dependency in mix.exs, forward '/beaker' to Beaker.Web in your router, and optionally plug Beaker.Integrations.Phoenix in your endpoint. This creates a dashboard at /beaker with charts and values from your metrics.

Question 2

Does Beaker save metrics after an app restart or crash?

Accepted Answer

No, Beaker metrics are ephemeral and stored only in memory, so they are lost on restart. The README warns this limits use for persistent monitoring or historical analysis.

Question 3

Beaker vs Telemetry for Elixir: which is better for monitoring?

Accepted Answer

Beaker offers built-in visualization and easy Phoenix/Ecto integration out-of-the-box, ideal for quick setup. Telemetry is more flexible and low-level, requiring additional tools for visualization but supporting a wider ecosystem.

Question 4

How can I track custom performance metrics like response times with Beaker?

Accepted Answer

Use functions like Beaker.Gauge.time or Beaker.TimeSeries.sample to record custom values. For example, wrap code blocks with Beaker.TimeSeries.time to automatically sample durations for time series tracking.

Question 5

Is Beaker suitable for production environments given its in-memory storage?

Accepted Answer

It can be used in production for real-time monitoring, but data loss on restarts means it's best for ephemeral insights or paired with external storage. Consider durability needs before deployment.

Question 6

What's the performance impact of Beaker's time series aggregation on my app?

Accepted Answer

Aggregation runs every 60 seconds and can take 3-15 milliseconds per run with moderate data, as per README benchmarks. This may add latency in high-throughput scenarios where metrics are sampled frequently.

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