Product Walkthrough
Kubernetes Auto-Instrumentation with Applicare
Getting traces out of a Kubernetes workload normally means changing images, redeploying and wiring in an SDK. This walkthrough shows Applicare connecting a live cluster, switching on OpenTelemetry auto-instrumentation for a running Java application without code changes, and reading the distributed traces it produces.
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7:06
In this walkthrough
What you’ll see
- Connect a cluster with one generated kubectl command. The in-cluster agent uses its own service account, so there is no bearer token to copy.
- The cluster appears on its own, with its nodes, namespaces, pods and containers discovered.
- Choose Add OTel on a container: Applicare installs cert-manager and the OpenTelemetry Operator, creates the instrumentation resource and restarts the workload, with live progress.
- Distributed traces for the instrumented application: the request path, each service and database call, and timings per span.
- The surrounding cluster context: topology, nodes, namespaces, pods, containers and node events.
Applicare University
Learn it, then get certified.
This lesson sits at the Operator (ACO) level of Applicare University. Follow the learning paths below, pass the assessment and earn a verifiable Applicare credential.
4
Progressive certification levels
40+
Focused video lessons
Labs
Hands-on practice & a capstone
Verified
Shareable digital badges
The pathway
Four levels. One clear path.
Each level builds on the one before it and ends with a graded assessment. Pass, and you earn a verifiable Applicare credential you can add to your résumé and LinkedIn.
1
Beginner
Associate
ACA
4–6 hrs · Free
2
Intermediate
Operator
ACO
8–12 hrs · exam + lab
3
Advanced
Professional
ACP
12–16 hrs · exam + 2 labs
4
Expert
Expert
ACE
20+ hrs · proctored + capstone
Certifications
Choose your level.
Start free at Associate and progress as far as you like. Each course bundles the video lessons, labs, and the certification exam.
Beginner
Applicare Certified Associate
ACA
Free
You'll learn
- Observability fundamentals
- Platform tour & navigating the dashboard
- Metrics, logs & traces
- Monitoring your first application
Intermediate
Applicare Certified Operator
ACO
$149
You'll learn
- Service flow & topology mapping
- App Analyzer & HTTP transactions
- Alerts, definitions & blackouts
- Dashboards, KPIs & database monitoring
Advanced
Applicare Certified Professional
ACP
$299
You'll learn
- ArcIn AI root-cause analysis
- IntelliSense anomaly detection
- IntelliTune auto-remediation
- Integrations, synthetic monitoring & SLOs
Expert
Applicare Certified Expert
ACE
$499
You'll learn
- Reference architecture & scale
- Multi-cloud & Kubernetes
- Security posture & capacity planning
- Capstone: design a full deployment
Video-based learning
Learn by watching, then doing.
Every module is built around short, focused video lessons — starting with a full product tour — followed by knowledge checks and hands-on labs.
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2:43
Enterprise Dashboard — Full Platform Tour
Featured lesson · ACA Foundations. A guided walkthrough of the Applicare command center.
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7:06
Kubernetes Auto-Instrumentation with OpenTelemetry
ACO · Connect a live cluster and auto-instrument a running app with OpenTelemetry — no code changes — then read the distributed traces.
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1:42
Enterprise Overview — Metrics to Topology
ACA Foundations · A full guided tour — live KPIs, per-app health, transaction trends, infrastructure signals, and the live service topology, end to end.
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1:09
Memory Leak Detection with Heap Analyzer
ACO · Stream live JVM heap telemetry, run Analyze Heap, then Deep Analyze to trace a leak to its exact GC-root reference chain.
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2:37
Active Directory Monitoring
ACO · Domain health, replication, and a full security audit trail — logons, account changes, and shutdowns — across every domain controller.
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0:57
Management Dashboard
ACO · Per-application health, response time, and resource usage — drill into any app's top APIs, then configure thresholds and exclusions.
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4:11
VMware
ACO · VMware monitoring across every vCenter — clusters, hosts, and VMs, plus capacity forecasting and AI-driven recommendations.
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3:09
Applicare Intelligence
ACP · One-click A-I root cause investigation — ranked bottlenecks, ruled-out hypotheses, full Kubernetes pod failure analysis, and prioritized remediation.
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1:44
Remote Agent Deployment
ACO · Install the Applicare agent on any Linux or Windows machine from the browser — connectivity validation, live install log, and controller registration.
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1:44
Synthetic User Experience
ACO · Scripted transaction monitoring — execution trends, full transaction traces down to the method call, and Gantt waterfalls for every request.
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0:53
Favorites Menu
ACA Foundations · Pin any menu item for one-click access, declutter with a collapsible Favorites section, and unpin anytime.
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8:32
MS SQL Metrics Dashboard
ACO · Live SQL Server health, an AI-driven query analyzer flagging bad queries with fixes, lock-blocking detection, and index health.
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1:31
Capacity Planning
ACO · Forecast C-P-U, memory, and disk against historical trends, with AI-driven upgrade recommendations and scheduled recurring reports.
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1:24
Alerts & Root Cause Analysis
ACO · One unified alert feed for database and infrastructure issues, each with an AI-driven root cause and recommended fix.
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1:19
Windows Security Audit
ACO · Logon, account-change, and shutdown auditing across every Windows server — spot brute-force patterns down to the exact account and IP.
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2:11
AI SQL Review
ACP · Send any query straight to the agent for a real EXPLAIN and a ranked analysis — issues, reasoning, and a ready-to-run index fix.
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4:48
Hyper-V Monitoring
ACO · Auto-discovered hosts and V-Ms, per-host and per-V-M drilldowns, capacity forecasting, and a full visual topology map.
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1:01
App Analyzer
ACO · H-T-T-P and SQL transaction analytics across every app — top statements, slowest calls, and error hotspots at a glance.
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0:47
Monitored Resources
ACO · A single inventory of every technology each agent is watching, filterable by app, with live process detail on demand.
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1:14
Controller Resource Alerts
ACO · The Applicare controller watching its own CPU, memory, and disk — checked every 60 seconds, no agent required, with per-metric thresholds and recurring reminders.
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4:12
Key Business Transactions
ACO · Every business-critical transaction in one table, filterable by HTTP or SQL, traced hop by hop down to the exact database call.
Coming soon
Service Flow & Topology Deep-Dive
ACO · Read live request flow across users, app servers, and databases.
Coming soon
App Analyzer & HTTP Transactions
ACO · Trace every transaction down to the slow endpoint.
Coming soon
Root Cause in 60 Seconds with ArcIn
ACP · Plain-English root cause across the entity graph.
Coming soon
Self-Healing with IntelliTune
ACP · Automate remediation with policy-gated playbooks.
How certification works
Five steps to certified.
1
Enroll
Pick your level and sign up. Associate is free; paid levels include a one-time fee.
2
Learn
Work through the video lessons at your own pace, with knowledge checks along the way.
3
Practice
Apply it in hands-on labs against a live Applicare environment.
4
Pass the exam
Sit the timed assessment. Meet the passing score to qualify; retakes available.
5
Get your badge
Receive a verifiable digital badge and PDF certificate to share anywhere.
Assessment & credentials
A credential that proves it.
- Timed, scenario-based exams — multiple choice plus hands-on labs at higher levels.
- Passing score of 75% (Associate / Operator) or 80% (Professional / Expert).
- Expert level adds a proctored exam and a reviewed capstone project.
- One free retake per attempt window if you don't pass first time.
- Badges are verifiable online and valid for two years, renewable with continuing education.
🎖
Applicare Certified
Shareable on LinkedIn and embeddable on your site — backed by a public verification link.
Pricing
Simple, per-certification pricing.
Associate
Free
Onboarding for everyone
Operator
$149
For SREs & platform engineers
Professional
$299
For senior & AIOps engineers
Expert
$499
For architects & leads
Training a team? Volume licensing, private cohorts, and instructor-led sessions are available for enterprises.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Do I need experience to start?
No. The Associate level assumes no prior Applicare knowledge and starts from observability basics. Each level lists its recommended prerequisite before you enroll.
How much does it cost?
Associate is free. Operator is $149, Professional $299, and Expert $499 — each a one-time fee that includes the video lessons, labs, and the certification exam. Team and enterprise pricing is available.
How are the exams delivered?
Exams are online and timed. Lower levels are multiple-choice; higher levels add hands-on labs, and the Expert level includes a proctored exam plus a reviewed capstone project.
What happens if I don't pass?
You get one free retake per attempt window. Additional attempts can be purchased if needed.
Is the certification recognized and verifiable?
Yes. Every credential comes with a public verification link and a shareable digital badge for LinkedIn, plus a downloadable PDF certificate. Badges are valid for two years.
Can my whole team get certified together?
Absolutely — we offer volume licensing, private cohorts, and instructor-led sessions. Use the team-training button below to talk to us.
Get started
Start your certification today.
Begin free with the Associate level and progress at your own pace toward Applicare Certified Expert.