Instrument anything.

Add the gem to your Gemfile.

gem 'instrumental_agent'

Visit instrumentalapp.com and create an account, then initialize the agent with your API key, found in the Docs section.

I = Instrumental::Agent.new('YOUR_API_KEY', :enabled => Rails.env.production?)

You'll probably want something like the above, only enabling the agent in production mode so you don't have development and produciton data writing to the same value. Or you can setup two projects, so that you can verify stats in one, and release them to production in another.

Now you can begin to use Instrumental to track your application.

I.gauge('load', 1.23)                # value at a point in time

I.increment('signups')               # increasing value, think "events"

I.time('query_time') do              # time a block of code
  post = Post.find(1)
end
I.time_ms('query_time_in_ms') do     # prefer milliseconds?
  post = Post.find(1)
end

Note: For your app's safety, the agent is meant to isolate your app from any problems our service might suffer. If it is unable to connect to the service, it will discard data after reaching a low memory threshold.

Want to track an event (like an application deploy, or downtime)? You can capture events that are instantaneous, or events that happen over a period of time.

I.notice('Jeffy deployed rev ef3d6a') # instantaneous event
I.notice('Testing socket buffer increase', 3.days.ago, 20.minutes) # an event with a duration

Streaming data is better with a little historical context. Instrumental lets you backfill data, allowing you to see deep into your project's past.

When backfilling, you may send tens of thousands of metrics per second, and the command buffer may start discarding data it isn't able to send fast enough. We provide a synchronous mode that will ensure every stat makes it to Instrumental before continuing on to the next.

Warning: You should only enable synchronous mode for backfilling data as any issues with the Instrumental service issues will cause this code to halt until it can reconnect.

I.synchronous = true # every command sends immediately
User.find_each do |user|
  I.increment('signups', 1, user.created_at)
end

Want some general server stats (load, memory, etc.)? Check out the instrumental_tools gem.

gem install instrumental_tools
instrument_server

Need to quickly disable the agent? set :enabled to false on initialization and you don't need to change any application code.

Add require "instrumental/capistrano" to your capistrano configuration and your deploys will be tracked by Instrumental. Add the API token for the project you want to track to by setting the following Capistrano var:

set :instrumental_key, "MY_API_KEY"

The following configuration will be added:

before "deploy", "instrumental:util:deploy_start"
after  "deploy", "instrumental:util:deploy_end"
before "deploy:migrations", "instrumental:util:deploy_start"
after  "deploy:migrations", "instrumental:util:deploy_end"
after  "instrumental:util:deploy_end", "instrumental:record_deploy_notice"

We are here to help. Email us at [email protected], or visit the Instrumental Support Campfire room.