Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - Discover seamless observability with eBPF (DOP226)

Summary

• GroundCover aims to reinvent observability for cloud-native technologies, challenging traditional tools like Datadog, New Relic, or Dynatrace.
• eBPF technology is leveraged to change data collection methods, allowing for out-of-band, kernel-level data collection without altering application code.
• GroundCover promises 100% visibility, even for services not instrumented manually, and a minimal performance footprint.
• The data processing and storage model separates the control plane from the data plane, reducing costs and keeping data within the user's cloud environment.
• GroundCover charges based on the size of the environment, not data volume, leading to significant cost savings and full data privacy.
• The solution uses cloud-native technologies like ClickHouse and Victoria Metrics for scalability and efficiency.
• Installation is quick (60 seconds) and does not require code changes, enabling DevOps to provide full observability coverage to R&D teams.
• GroundCover provides Kubernetes native infrastructure monitoring, a live network dependency map, troubleshooting with live traces, full log management, and the ability to create custom dashboards and alerts.
• The demo showcased GroundCover's capabilities, including installation, data visualization, API catalog, and troubleshooting features.

Insights

• eBPF is becoming a critical technology in observability, offering deep insights without the need for code instrumentation, which is particularly beneficial for high-scale Kubernetes environments.
• The shift towards eBPF reflects a broader industry trend towards more efficient and less intrusive monitoring solutions.
• GroundCover's pricing model, which is not based on data volume, could disrupt the observability market by removing the cost barrier associated with high-volume data collection.
• The separation of control and data planes in GroundCover's architecture not only enhances security and privacy but also aligns with modern cloud-native practices.
• The ease of installation and immediate coverage could accelerate the adoption of observability practices, especially in organizations where DevOps and R&D teams operate separately.
• GroundCover's use of cloud-native databases for storage and processing indicates a trend towards leveraging open-source and cloud-optimized technologies for scalability and cost-effectiveness in observability solutions.