Java 10 introduces several features that can greatly enhance the performance monitoring capabilities of Java applications. In this blog post, we will explore some of these new features and discuss how they can be used for effective performance monitoring.
Table of Contents
Flight Recorder
Flight Recorder is a powerful tool that has been part of the JDK since Java 7. With Java 10, it has been enhanced to provide even more comprehensive performance monitoring capabilities. Flight Recorder allows collecting detailed information about the JVM, application threads, garbage collection, class loading, and much more.
To enable Flight Recorder, you need to add the following JVM arguments to your application startup:
-XX:+UnlockCommercialFeatures -XX:+FlightRecorder
Once enabled, Flight Recorder captures a continuous stream of events, which can be saved to a file for later analysis. These events provide insights into various aspects of your application’s performance, such as CPU usage, memory allocation, and thread behavior.
Flight Recorder also introduces the concept of event streaming, which allows you to monitor your application’s performance in real time. You can use tools like JFR Event Streaming API or third-party monitoring tools to consume these events and visualize them in a meaningful way.
JVM Compiler Interface
Java 10 introduces the JVM Compiler Interface (JVMCI), which offers an alternative way to interact with the Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler. This interface allows advanced users to directly control the JIT compilation process, enabling them to optimize the performance of their Java applications.
By using JVMCI, you can dynamically compile and optimize Java bytecode, introspect the compiler state, and provide custom compiler configurations. This level of control opens up new possibilities for performance tuning within Java applications.
To enable JVMCI, you need to add the following JVM argument to your application startup:
-XX:+UseJVMCICompiler
Once enabled, you can use the JVMCI API to interact with the JIT compiler and perform optimizations according to your specific requirements. This can lead to significant performance improvements, especially for highly specialized applications.
Summary
Java 10 brings significant improvements to application performance monitoring with the introduction of Flight Recorder enhancements and the JVM Compiler Interface. By taking advantage of these features, developers can gain deep insights into their Java applications, identify performance bottlenecks, and optimize their code for improved efficiency.
With Flight Recorder, developers can collect detailed performance data and analyze it later, while event streaming allows real-time monitoring. JVMCI, on the other hand, empowers developers to directly control the JIT compilation process and optimize their applications based on specific requirements.
By leveraging these new features, Java developers can effectively monitor and improve the performance of their applications, leading to enhanced user experience and better overall efficiency.