skywalking-java/docs/en/setup/service-agent/java-agent

Setup java agent

1. Agent is available for JDK 8 - 17.
2. Find agent folder in SkyWalking release package
3. Set agent.service_name in config/agent.config. Could be any String in English.
4. Set collector.backend_service in config/agent.config. Default point to 127.0.0.1:11800, only works for local backend.
5. Add -javaagent:/path/to/skywalking-package/agent/skywalking-agent.jar to JVM argument. And make sure to add it before the -jar argument.

The agent release dist is included in Apache official release. New agent package looks like this.

+-- agent
    +-- activations
         apm-toolkit-log4j-1.x-activation.jar
         apm-toolkit-log4j-2.x-activation.jar
         apm-toolkit-logback-1.x-activation.jar
         ...
    +-- config
         agent.config  
    +-- plugins
         apm-dubbo-plugin.jar
         apm-feign-default-http-9.x.jar
         apm-httpClient-4.x-plugin.jar
         .....
    +-- optional-plugins
         apm-gson-2.x-plugin.jar
         .....
    +-- bootstrap-plugins
         jdk-http-plugin.jar
         .....
    +-- logs
    skywalking-agent.jar

• Start your application.

Install javaagent FAQs

• Linux Tomcat 7, Tomcat 8, Tomcat 9
  Change the first line of tomcat/bin/catalina.sh.

CATALINA_OPTS="$CATALINA_OPTS -javaagent:/path/to/skywalking-agent/skywalking-agent.jar"; export CATALINA_OPTS

• Windows Tomcat 7, Tomcat 8, Tomcat 9
  Change the first line of tomcat/bin/catalina.bat.

set "CATALINA_OPTS=-javaagent:/path/to/skywalking-agent/skywalking-agent.jar"

• JAR file
  Add -javaagent argument to command line in which you start your app. eg:

java -javaagent:/path/to/skywalking-agent/skywalking-agent.jar -jar yourApp.jar

• Jetty
  Modify jetty.sh, add -javaagent argument to command line in which you start your app. eg:

export JAVA_OPTIONS="${JAVA_OPTIONS} -javaagent:/path/to/skywalking-agent/skywalking-agent.jar"

Plugins

SkyWalking agent has supported various middlewares, frameworks and libraries. Read supported list to get them and supported version. If the plugin is in Optional² catalog, go to optional plugins and bootstrap class plugin section to learn how to active it.

• All plugins in /plugins folder are active. Remove the plugin jar, it disabled.
• The default logging output folder is /logs.