Asp.Net Web Api Using Application Insights For Monitoring Complete Guide

ASP.NET Web API Using Application Insights for Monitoring

1. Introduction to Application Insights

Application Insights is a powerful monitoring service offered by Microsoft Azure. It helps developers understand how their applications are performing in production by collecting telemetry data. This data includes requests, dependencies, exceptions, page views, custom events, and metrics. Application Insights can be used with any programming language and integrates seamlessly with cloud and on-premises environments.

2. Setting Up Application Insights in ASP.NET Web API

Firstly, you need to integrate Application Insights into your ASP.NET Web API project. Follow these steps to set it up:

• Step 1: Create an Application Insights Resource Begin by creating an Application Insights resource in the Azure Portal. This resource collects data from your application. Navigate to the Azure portal, click on 'Create a resource', find and select 'Application Insights', and configure its settings.

• Step 2: Install the Application Insights SDK There are two main ways to add the SDK to your project: via Visual Studio or via NuGet Package Manager.

  Using Visual Studio: In Visual Studio, right-click on your ASP.NET Web API project > Select 'Add' > 'Application Insights Telemetry'. Follow the prompts to complete the setup.

  Using NuGet: Open the NuGet Package Manager Console and run the following command:

  Install-Package Microsoft.ApplicationInsights.AspNetCore
  

• Step 3: Configure Application Insights in Startup.cs In the Startup class, configure services to include Application Insights.

  public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
  {
      services.AddApplicationInsightsTelemetry();
      // other services
  }
  

3. Capturing Telemetry Data

Application Insights captures various types of telemetry data that provide valuable insights into the health and performance of your API.

• Requests: Track incoming HTTP requests, including status codes and response times.
• Dependencies: Monitor calls to external resources like databases, APIs, or file systems.
• Exception: Automatically log unhandled exceptions.
• Custom Events and Metrics: Track additional data relevant to your business logic.

4. Advanced Telemetry Configuration

For more detailed monitoring, customize the telemetry collection with custom initializers and processors.

• Custom Properties: Add custom properties to telemetry data for better categorization and filtering.

  public class CustomTelemetryInitializer : ITelemetryInitializer
  {
      public void Initialize(ITelemetry telemetry)
      {
          telemetry.Context.Properties.Add("Environment", "Production");
      }
  }
  

  Register the initializer in Startup.cs:

  services.AddSingleton<ITelemetryInitializer, CustomTelemetryInitializer>();
  

• Telemetry Processors: Filter out unnecessary data or add processing logic.

  public class CustomTelemetryProcessor : ITelemetryProcessor
  {
      private ITelemetryProcessor _next;
  
      public CustomTelemetryProcessor(ITelemetryProcessor next)
      {
          _next = next;
      }
  
      public void Process(ITelemetry item)
      {
          if (!OKtoSend(item)) { return; }
          _next.Process(item);
      }
  
      private bool OKtoSend(ITelemetry item)
      {
          // filter logic
          return true;
      }
  }
  

  Register the processor in Startup.cs:

  services.AddApplicationInsightsTelemetry(options => 
  {
      options.AddTelemetryProcessor<CustomTelemetryProcessor>();
  });
  

5. Analyzing and Using Insights

Once you have Application Insights set up, you can analyze the collected data to gain insights into your API’s performance and user behavior.

• Performance Monitoring: View charts and tables of key performance metrics like request response time, server response time, and dependency calls.
• Usage Tracking: Monitor user engagement and behavior through page views, user retention, and custom events.
• Error Detection: Automatically detect exceptions and correlate them with application performance issues.
• Custom Dashboards: Create custom dashboards within the Azure portal to visualize important metrics and set up alerts for critical issues.

6. Best Practices

• Security: Ensure secure transmission of telemetry data by using HTTPS.
• Data Privacy: Be mindful of privacy regulations when collecting and analyzing user data.
• Resource Management: Monitor usage metrics to avoid unexpected costs.
• Code Quality: Regularly revisit and update telemetry configurations to keep up with evolving business needs.

Conclusion