Applications
In Real User Monitoring (RUM), monitored applications are logical constructs onto which customer applications—websites, mobile apps, and more—are mapped for monitoring with regard to traffic from real users. Therefore, it's implied that such customer applications have an end-user interface. Typical end-user interfaces include browser-based interfaces of web applications and sites as well as iOS- or Android-based interfaces of mobile apps running on smartphones or tablets.
The end-user interface determines the type of application created within Dynatrace. The way Dynatrace obtains the monitoring data and the type of data that is collected differ for each application type. For example, for a web application running in a browser, the Real User Monitoring (RUM) JavaScript is manually or automatically injected into the application's HTML pages and starts monitoring each user action.
RUM application definition
The definition of the RUM application for web applications is generated automatically. More specifically, if your web applications are running on systems where you can install OneAgent, Dynatrace automatically injects the RUM JavaScript into the HTML pages. Therefore, every monitoring environment automatically obtains a default application named "My web application." All RUM data are assigned to this application by default.
For mobile and custom applications, the definition is generated when you create the application and start setting up the Dynatrace monitoring. These application types are not monitored in an automated way.
Supported application types
Dynatrace supports different application types: web, mobile, and Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) as well as rich client applications over applications running in a car and IoT applications with user interactions. Each type has different monitoring capabilities and a different user interface within Dynatrace. However, all types are permeated by common concepts like user sessions and user actions.
You can find more information on each application type below.
All HTML pages—like static webpages or single-page applications running in a browser—are regarded as web applications.
| User interface | JavaScript-enabled browser (mobile or desktop) |
| Monitoring approach | Dynatrace RUM JavaScript |
| Injection type | Injection of the RUM JavaScript can be done automatically by OneAgent, manually for agentless monitoring, or by using the Dynatrace browser extension. |
| How to get started | Define your applications via the "My web application" placeholder |
AMP applications are also web applications, but they follow the Google Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) specification. This specification doesn't allow for deep process monitoring with Dynatrace, so you don't get the same data.
Starting with Dynatrace version 1.272, it isn't possible to create an AMP application, and we will discontinue support for AMP application monitoring sometime in the future.
| User interface | JavaScript-enabled browser (mobile or desktop); pages follow the AMP specification |
| Monitoring approach | Dynatrace RUM JavaScript |
| Injection type | Injection is performed manually by passing special AMP settings to the AMP pages. |
| How to get started | Set up AMP monitoring |
Mobile applications are native mobile apps on iOS or Android as well as hybrid apps accessed through a browser.
| User interface | Native mobile application on iOS or Android |
| Monitoring approach | OneAgent for iOS or Android; for hybrid applications, the browser part is monitored by the RUM JavaScript |
| Injection type | No injection is required—lifecycle events, user actions, and web requests are monitored out of the box. |
| How to get started | Instrument your Android applications Instrument your iOS applications |
Custom applications relate to all digital touchpoints in your environment, from traditional rich client applications to smart IoT applications or even Alexa Skills. Such applications are supported through Dynatrace OpenKit.
| User interface | Any digital touchpoint a customer wants to monitor—from rich client applications over applications running in a car up to IoT applications with user interactions. The user interface could even be hardware like Amazon Alexa. |
| Monitoring approach | Dynatrace RUM JavaScript |
| Injection type | Injection is done by the customer using Dynatrace OpenKit for their technology. |
| How to get started | Instrument your applications using Dynatrace OpenKit |
Dynatrace captures user sessions from custom applications as mobile user sessions. Built-in metrics are captured without the indication of whether it's a mobile or a custom application. For more details, see Built-in metrics.