How to set up Elixometer with OpenTSDB reporter?

Install the full exometer package as a dependency, configure exometer_core with the OpenTSDB reporter, and set elixometer's reporter to it. The README provides an example for enabling additional reporters like OpenTSDB or StatsD.

Elixometer vs Telemetry for Elixir metrics?

Elixometer is a wrapper around exometer for specific metric reporting with automatic subscription, while Telemetry is a more general event system. Choose Elixometer if you need exometer integration; Telemetry offers broader ecosystem support and is newer.

How to create a custom reporter in Elixometer?

Define a module using the :exometer_report behaviour, implement required functions, and configure it in elixometer with report_bulk options. The README notes exometer documentation is tricky but provides basic guidance and an example for bulk reporting.

Does Elixometer support custom histogram percentiles?

Yes, by configuring excluded_datapoints in the elixometer config, you can restrict which percentiles are reported. The default includes 11 datapoints like median and 99th percentile, but you can exclude unwanted ones.

What is the performance impact of Elixometer's overload protection?

It uses pobox to buffer messages, which can introduce minimal latency but prevents system overload. Configuring max_messages allows tuning based on application load, with a default of 1000 messages for balance.

How to time a specific function block without annotations in Elixometer?

Use the timed/2 macro within the function to wrap the code block, providing a metric key. This allows fine-grained timing without decorating the entire function, as shown in the timer_test example.

elixometer — Elixir Metrics & Reporter Wrapper

What is elixometer?

Elixometer is a lightweight Elixir wrapper around the exometer Erlang library that simplifies metric instrumentation. It automatically subscribes defined metrics to the configured reporter based on the environment, reducing boilerplate and configuration overhead. The library supports various metric types including timers, histograms, gauges, counters, and spirals with straightforward update functions.

Target Audience

Elixir developers building applications that require performance monitoring and metric collection, particularly those who want to integrate with existing exometer reporters like StatsD or OpenTSDB without dealing with exometer's complexity.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Elixometer because it abstracts the complexities of exometer with automatic metric subscription, minimal configuration, and developer-friendly features like function timing annotations. It provides overload protection through pobox integration and supports custom formatters and bulk reporting for efficient metric handling.

A light Elixir wrapper around exometer.

Use Cases

Best For

Instrumenting Elixir applications with automatic metric subscription to configured reporters
Timing code blocks or entire functions using @timed annotations with automatic key generation
Building custom metric reporters that need bulk subscription and reporting capabilities
Preventing system overload during metric collection with configurable message buffer limits
Integrating with existing exometer reporters like StatsD or OpenTSDB in Elixir applications
Reducing boilerplate code when implementing various metric types (timers, histograms, gauges, counters, spirals)

Not Ideal For

Projects not using the BEAM ecosystem, as it relies on Erlang's exometer and Elixir.
Teams needing out-of-the-box visualization or dashboards, since it focuses on instrumentation without UI components.
Applications requiring pure Elixir dependencies without Erlang library ties, due to exometer integration.
Scenarios where fine-grained control over metric lifecycle is critical, as automatic subscription limits manual intervention.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Automatic Metric Subscription

Reduces boilerplate by automatically subscribing metrics to configured reporters based on the environment, as shown in the configuration examples that prepend prefixes and environment names.

Developer-Friendly Instrumentation

Simplifies metric updates with straightforward functions for counters, timers, etc., and supports @timed annotations for automatic key generation in function timing.

Flexible Customization Options

Allows custom formatters for metric naming and bulk reporting for efficient handling, enabling tailored integration with various reporters like StatsD or OpenTSDB.

Built-in Overload Protection

Integrates with pobox to buffer messages and prevent system overload, with configurable max_messages limits to manage high metric volumes safely.

Cons

Complex Underlying Dependency

Relies on exometer, which has poor and difficult-to-find documentation for custom reporters, as admitted in the README, adding setup complexity.

Configuration Overhead

Requires coordinating multiple config files for exometer and elixometer, including reporter settings and subscription options, which can be error-prone.

Limited Metric Ecosystem

Tied to exometer's supported metric types and reporters, which may lack modern features or active development compared to newer libraries like Prometheus clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is elixometer?

Target Audience

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Instrumenting Elixir applications with automatic metric subscription to configured reporters
Timing code blocks or entire functions using @timed annotations with automatic key generation
Building custom metric reporters that need bulk subscription and reporting capabilities
Preventing system overload during metric collection with configurable message buffer limits
Integrating with existing exometer reporters like StatsD or OpenTSDB in Elixir applications
Reducing boilerplate code when implementing various metric types (timers, histograms, gauges, counters, spirals)

Not Ideal For

Projects not using the BEAM ecosystem, as it relies on Erlang's exometer and Elixir.
Teams needing out-of-the-box visualization or dashboards, since it focuses on instrumentation without UI components.
Applications requiring pure Elixir dependencies without Erlang library ties, due to exometer integration.
Scenarios where fine-grained control over metric lifecycle is critical, as automatic subscription limits manual intervention.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Automatic Metric Subscription

Reduces boilerplate by automatically subscribing metrics to configured reporters based on the environment, as shown in the configuration examples that prepend prefixes and environment names.

Developer-Friendly Instrumentation

Simplifies metric updates with straightforward functions for counters, timers, etc., and supports @timed annotations for automatic key generation in function timing.

Flexible Customization Options

Allows custom formatters for metric naming and bulk reporting for efficient handling, enabling tailored integration with various reporters like StatsD or OpenTSDB.

Built-in Overload Protection

Integrates with pobox to buffer messages and prevent system overload, with configurable max_messages limits to manage high metric volumes safely.

Cons

Complex Underlying Dependency

Relies on exometer, which has poor and difficult-to-find documentation for custom reporters, as admitted in the README, adding setup complexity.

Configuration Overhead

Requires coordinating multiple config files for exometer and elixometer, including reporter settings and subscription options, which can be error-prone.

Limited Metric Ecosystem

Tied to exometer's supported metric types and reporters, which may lack modern features or active development compared to newer libraries like Prometheus clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

elixometer

What is elixometer?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

elixometer

What is elixometer?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?