Frequently asked questions

General

Is AppMap free? Do we have to contact you about commercial use?

A: AppMap agent software is open-source software (OSS). We use the MIT License.

AppMap Analysis is commercial software. Get early access here, for more information about AppMap Analysis. Read more about AppMap.

How is AppMap different from system diagrams provided by my APM?

A: APMs requre you to deploy your code before you can get information from them. AppMap works while the code is being developed - right in the code editor, and in CI/CD. Also, AppMap is focused on code behavior, design, and software architecture (data flow between web services, packages, APIs, code interfaces, SQL, caches, background jobs, etc). APMs focus on performance monitoring, error reporting, and systems architecture (network traffic between servers, load balancers, availability zones, etc).

How can I contact someone for support?

A: Join us on Slack or send email to support@appmap.io.

A: You have two good options - you can share the recorded AppMap JSON file, or you can upload it to the AppMap server and share a link to it.

How do I integrate AppMap recording in my CI/CD workflow?

A: You can record AppMaps when you run your automated tests. Contact us for further information about the techniques and benefits of integrating AppMaps into your CI/CD.

My AppMaps are too big for practical use. Can I make them smaller?

A: Yes, AppMap recording can be optimized for more compact results. Please see Refining AppMaps.

Can I record AppMaps in a production environment?

A: Yes, you can. But you will need to record requests selectively, because AppMap recording has more overhead than network tracing. Contact us on Discord for more information.

What is the recording overhead of the AppMap agents?

A: It depends on the application platform. Ruby and Java client agent typically introduce 10-15% processing overhead.

I do not see my language or framework supported. Am I out of luck?

A: Definitely not. We are always working on supporting new languages and frameworks. And, all AppMap agent code, including language and framework integrations, is open source. Here are three ways to get more info:

Sign up for our Newsletter for updates. Scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address in the form.
Contact us on Slack to learn more or to contribute to open source development.
Check out AppMap on GitHub and you may find a new client agent for your language in development.

How can I contribute to the AppMap open source projects?

A: You can find all the AppMap open source projects on GitHub at https://github.com/getappmap/.

Please see the Community page for tips on how to get connected with the AppMap community.

Code editor extension

Which code editors and versions are supported by AppMap?

A: Visual Studio Code 1.52+, JetBrains 2021.1 and newer. See the Reference section for details.

You can also use AppMap without a code editor extension. You can make AppMaps using the command-line tools, and you can view AppMaps in your browser using the @appland/appmap open command, or by uploading to the AppMap server.

I do not see my code editor supported. Are you planning to support additional code editors in the future?

A: We keep adding support to new languages and code editors. Sign up for our Newsletter for updates and contact us on Discord about your specific request.

If I install and use the AppMap agents and code editor extensions, is information about my code being sent anywhere?

A: No. AppMap does not send any code or metadata about your code anywhere. AppMaps are stored as files on your machine.

You may choose to upload AppMaps to the AppMap server, but this is not required to make and use AppMaps.

Code editor extensions are free today. Are you planning to charge money in the future?

A: All AppMap OSS tools and components are staying open source and free forever.

Do I need to install the language clients to view AppMaps in the code editor?

A: Language clients are only required for recording (new) AppMaps. To open pre-recorded AppMaps, you do not need to install them. You only need the AppMap file and the code editor extension.

Language clients

What frameworks are supported by AppMap?

A: As of February 2022, Java, Python, Ruby, and JavaScript are officially supported.

Each language works with specific frameworks. See the language-specific areas of this FAQ for more details.

What languages are coming next?

A: .Net and PHP clients are in the works.

Java

What Java version and frameworks are supported?

A: Spring Framework with JDK 8 and newer LTS versions. See the Reference section for details.

Can I record AppMaps if I run my tests in Maven or Gradle tasks?

A: Yes! AppMap Maven and Gradle plugins make it easy to record AppMaps from tests. See the Maven docs and Gradle docs guide for details.

Ruby

What Ruby versions and frameworks are supported?

A: Rails 5.1+ with Ruby 2.x, and 3.x. See the Reference section for details.

What Ruby test frameworks are supported?

A: RSpec, Minitest, Cucumber

Python

What Python versions and frameworks are supported?

A: Django and Flask with Python 3.7 and newer. See the Reference section for details.

What Python test frameworks are supported?

A: pytest, unittest

JavaScript

What JavaScript frameworks are supported?

A: Express framework. See the Reference section for details.

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