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Pinpoint
What it is
Pinpoint is an application performance management tool for large-scale distributed systems, tracing transactions across application components to help locate bottlenecks and problem areas. It supports applications written in Java, PHP, and Python. Its ServerMap displays system topology, component status, and transaction counts, while CallStack views expose code-level transaction details. Monitoring tools include a real-time active-thread chart, a request/response scatter chart, and an inspector for CPU, memory, garbage collection, TPS, and JVM arguments. The agent uses bytecode instrumentation to trace calls without application code changes; the project describes the resulting resource-usage increase as approximately 3%. Production collection can sample 1–5% of requests, and a counting sampler is also described. Documented modules include Tomcat, Jetty, Spring, Kafka, MySQL, Redis, and RabbitMQ. A self-managed deployment requires HBase, Pinpoint Collector, Pinpoint Web, and an agent attached to a Java application. Pinpoint is free under Apache License 2.0 and supports self-hosted use. Its Web module tracks selected interface clicks, with a documented setting to disable that collection.
For and against
For
- Traces transactions across distributed components.
- ServerMap shows topology, status, and transaction counts.
- Bytecode instrumentation avoids application code changes.
- Supports production request sampling from 1–5%.
- Free under Apache License 2.0.
Against
- Self-managed deployment requires HBase and several components.
- Web module tracks selected interface clicks by default.
- Deployment requires an agent attached to a Java application.
The verdict
Pinpoint combines transaction tracing with topology and application monitoring views for distributed systems. Its self-managed setup and documented click tracking are worth weighing before deployment.
Who it suits
Pinpoint suits teams managing distributed Java, PHP, or Python applications that need transaction tracing and topology views. It is also relevant to users prepared to run its self-managed components and HBase.
Plans and prices
Pinpoint
Apache License 2.0 · self-hosted deployment
Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Application metrics
- Inspector displays CPU usage, memory and garbage collection, TPS, and JVM arguments.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The installation guide says a self-managed instance requires HBase, Pinpoint Collector, Pinpoint Web, and an Agent attached to a Java application.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Distributed tracing
- It traces transaction flows across application components to help identify problem areas and bottlenecks.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Instrumentation
- The Pinpoint Agent uses bytecode instrumentation to trace calls without requiring application code modifications.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The supported modules list includes technologies such as Tomcat, Spring Boot, gRPC, Kafka, MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- License
- Pinpoint is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Live monitoring
- The Realtime Active Thread Chart monitors active threads inside applications in real time.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Monitoring views
- The interface includes a real-time active-thread chart, a request/response scatter chart, call-stack views, and an application inspector.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Open source license
- Pinpoint is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Performance overhead
- The home page describes the resource-usage increase as approximately 3%.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Product
- Pinpoint is an application performance management tool for large-scale distributed systems written in Java and PHP.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Pinpoint is an APM tool for large-scale distributed systems that traces transactions across distributed applications.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Resource impact
- The project describes Pinpoint's resource usage increase as approximately 3%.github.com · read 5 Oct 2026
- Sampling
- The agent can sample traces, and its sampling rate setting controls how often transactions are traced.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Security and privacy
- The Web module tracks the number and order of selected UI clicks with Google Analytics, and the project documents a setting to disable this collection.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Server map
- The ServerMap visualizes distributed-system topology and shows component status and transaction counts.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Storage requirement
- The installation guide says Pinpoint uses HBase as the storage backend for the Collector and Web.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to GitHub issues, a Google group, and Gitter for questions and community support.pinpoint-apm.github.io · read 5 Oct 2026
