eBPF-based instrumentation for Go applications
The Site24x7 APM Insight Go agent uses extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) technology to provide real-time, zero-code tracing for Go applications running on Linux. With this approach, you gain deep visibility into your Go application’s performance with minimal operational effort and without modifying application code.
Why eBPF for Go application instrumentation?
Go is a compiled language
Unlike interpreted languages such as Java or Python, Go compiles directly to native machine code. This makes it difficult to add or inject additional code for instrumentation at runtime. Traditional methods of runtime instrumentation cannot be applied effectively.
The Linux kernel provides eBPF
The Linux kernel includes eBPF, a powerful feature that allows user-defined programs to be safely attached to various points within the kernel and user process execution. This enables monitoring and tracing capabilities without altering application code itself.
How eBPF solves the challenge?
With eBPF, Go application monitoring is achieved through the following key capabilities:
- Sandboxed execution: eBPF programs run inside a sandboxed virtual machine in the kernel, ensuring secure and controlled access to system and user-space events.
- Dynamic tracing: Telemetry is collected from running Go processes by attaching to system calls, network activities, and function entries or exits without needing to modify or restart the application.
- Non-intrusive monitoring: Go applications can be monitored continuously with no code modifications.
- Data flow: eBPF programs gather runtime telemetry—such as transaction traces, method timings, and resource usage—which the Site24x7 APM Insight agent collects and securely sends to the Site24x7 back end for visualization and analysis.
eBPF is widely adopted in cloud-native observability and security projects such as Cilium (networking) and Falco (runtime security).
Advantages of using eBPF
- High performance: There is minimal overhead since programs execute efficiently inside the kernel.
- Security: Strict verification ensures programs are safe and stable before execution.
- Flexibility: It supports monitoring of a broad range of system and application behaviors dynamically.
- Zero code changes: It enables tracing without requiring instrumentation from developers.
By leveraging eBPF, the Site24x7 APM Insight Go agent delivers deep, real-time visibility into Go applications on Linux with zero code changes and minimal operational friction. This allows teams to monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Go applications effectively in production environments.