Use Environment Variables for Java Agent Settings

As an alternative to using system properties or controller-info.xml to configure the agent, you can use environment variables. Environment variables allow agent identity settings to be populated with dynamic environments which may be unique for the JVM.

Environment Variables

To configure the agent with environment variables, set the value of the environment variables. Environment variables exist for most of the agent settings you can configure in the controller-info.xml file, such as the application name, node name, and connection settings.

For example, set the node name for the agent using an environment variable using APPDYNAMICS_AGENT_NODE_NAME. On Linux, you would enter this command:

export APPDYNAMICS_AGENT_NODE_NAME=node23

When the agent subsequently starts up, the agent takes node23 as its node name. Typically, the environment variable would be set as part of the start-up routine of the JVM and populated with values determined at startup.

Environment Variables Used by the Agent

The Java Agent takes configuration settings from the following environment variables, when set:

Environment Variable Equivalent property

APPDYNAMICS_CONTROLLER_HOST_NAME

 <controller-host>

APPDYNAMICS_CONTROLLER_PORT

 <controller-port>

APPDYNAMICS_CONTROLLER_SSL_ENABLED

 <controller-ssl-enabled>

APPDYNAMICS_AGENT_APPLICATION_NAME

 <application-name>

APPDYNAMICS_AGENT_TIER_NAME

 <tier-name>

APPDYNAMICS_AGENT_NODE_NAME

 <node-name>

APPDYNAMICS_AGENT_ACCOUNT_NAME

 <account-name>

APPDYNAMICS_AGENT_ACCOUNT_ACCESS_KEY

 <account-access-key>

APPDYNAMICS_AGENT_UNIQUE_HOST_ID

 Unique host name

APPDYNAMICS_AGENT_BASE_DIR

 <agent-runtime-dir>

APPDYNAMICS_JAVA_AGENT_REUSE_NODE_NAME

 –Dappdynamics.agent.reuse.nodeName

APPDYNAMICS_JAVA_AGENT_REUSE_NODE_NAME_PREFIX

 –Dappdynamics.agent.reuse.nodeName.prefix

Notice that not all configurable agent settings are configurable through environment variables. For those settings, you need to use system properties or controller-info.xml, as described on Java Agent Configuration Properties.