Lightrun

Enhance debugging and monitoring in real-time, seamlessly.. [Paid]

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What is Lightrun?

Lightrun is an AI SRE platform and developer-native dynamic observability platform that enables developers, SREs, and support teams to troubleshoot complex distributed workloads at runtime directly from their IDE. It securely injects logs, metrics, and traces in real-time while applications are running, eliminating the need for code changes, hotfixes, restarts, or redeployments.

Key features include Dynamic Logs that can be added to live applications on-demand, Real-time Snapshots (virtual breakpoints) that capture application state without stopping execution, Performance Metrics and Counters for tracking code performance, Custom Metrics, Conditions & TTL for controlling log output, Multi-Instance Debugging across Kubernetes, microservices, and serverless environments, and IDE plugins for IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, VS Code, and CLI support. The platform supports JVM languages (Java, Scala, Kotlin), Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, and .NET (C# and F#).

Lightrun is designed for developers working with monoliths, microservices, Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, ECS, Big Data, and serverless applications. It integrates with 100+ logging tools and APMs including Elastic, Splunk, and Datadog. The platform is trusted by Fortune 500 engineering teams including AT&T, Taboola, Priceline, Gong, and Drata, and is ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified with GDPR and HIPAA alignment.

The platform delivers measurable impact: AT&T reduced incident resolution time from 5 hours to 30 minutes, Taboola reclaimed 260+ hours monthly by eliminating manual reproduction, and Priceline increased developer productivity by 30% across 2000+ services. Lightrun provides 763% ROI and $5.62M NPV over three years according to economic impact studies.

Lightrun pricing

Pricing model: Freemium

Lightrun offers a Free Plan at $0 with limited features for trying Lightrun AI SRE for support and SRE teams. The Pro / Teams plan costs $1,440 per year. Enterprise Plan is available with custom pricing. Each developer seat includes unlimited Lightrun Logs, Snapshots, and Metrics. Lightrun charges per SDK which translates to running application instances (running JVMs, V8s, Python interpreters, etc). The Free tier includes Dynamic Logs, Real-time Snapshots, Performance Metrics, JVM/Python/JavaScript/.NET support, and IDE plugins. Pro/Teams adds Conditions & TTL, Multi-Instance debugging, CLI Support, Logging Tool Integrations, Slack Integration, and Reporting. Enterprise adds Custom SSO Integrations, Unlimited Integrations, Role-Based Access Control, Full Audit Log, On-Premise Deployment, and Customer Success. Free trial is available. Contact sales for air-gapped environment deployment.

Lightrun pros

  • Add logs to live production applications without redeployment or restart
  • Virtual breakpoints (snapshots) capture state without stopping application
  • Debug directly from IDE without leaving development workflow
  • Supports multiple environments: monoliths, microservices, Kubernetes, serverless
  • Unlimited logs, snapshots, and metrics per developer seat
  • Conditional logs reduce log volume and logging costs by up to 31%
  • 60% reduction in log volumes through on-demand granular logging
  • Reduces Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) from hours to minutes
  • Integrates with 100+ logging tools and APMs without vendor lock-in
  • supports Java, Scala, Kotlin, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, .NET
  • IDE plugins for VS Code, IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, and CLI
  • ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and HIPAA compliant
  • Read-only execution with sandbox isolation protects production
  • Multi-instance debugging across cluster servers with tags
  • Performance metrics and tick-tock measurements track bottlenecks
  • On-premise deployment option available for air-gapped environments
  • PII redaction and data privacy controls for regulated industries

Lightrun cons

  • IBM Java does not support invokedynamics feature
  • WinForms UI framework not supported in .NET agent
  • Python 3.11.0 limits to one active action per code object
  • Actions cannot be added to constructors in .NET
  • Cannot watch properties defined on interfaces in .NET
  • HashSet content cannot be viewed in .NET agent
  • .NET agent does not work when application executed by IDE
  • Debugging decompiled Java classes not supported without source code
  • Java agent not functional on CentOS 7.0
  • PII redaction not supported for Python 3.8 and lower or NodeJS 10-11
  • GraalVM only compatible when used as JVM, not for native images
  • Python agent fails on Alpine Linux without installing dependencies first
  • babel-watch npm package not supported with Node.js agent
  • Certificate pinning fails when proxy is enabled in VS Code plugin
  • Right-click menu limited in JetBrains Rider and PyCharm plugins

Frequently asked questions about Lightrun

What is Lightrun?

Lightrun is a developer-native dynamic observability platform that empowers developers to troubleshoot complex remote and distributed workloads at runtime directly from their IDE. It securely injects logs, metrics, and traces in real-time while the process is running, without requiring application interruption, code modification, or redeployment. The platform supports debugging monoliths, microservices, Kubernetes, CI, serverless, and more.

What programming languages does Lightrun support?

Lightrun supports all JVM languages (Java, Scala, and Kotlin), Node.js including TypeScript, Python (both versions 2 and 3), and .NET (C# and F#). The platform charges per SDK which directly translates to running application instances like JVMs, V8s, and Python interpreters. Support for more languages is planned for future release.

How does Lightrun work?

Lightrun works by securely injecting logs, metrics and traces in real time while your process is running. Through IDE plugins for VS Code, IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, and CLI, developers can add dynamic logs, set virtual breakpoints (snapshots), and collect performance metrics without stopping the application. Data is piped to your native logging tools like Elastic, Splunk, Datadog or viewed directly in the IDE console with conditional filtering and search capabilities.

What IDEs does Lightrun support?

Lightrun offers robust IDE plugins for Visual Studio Code (including vscode.dev), IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm. The platform also supports CLI support and a Web Editor for environments without IDE plugins. All plugins enable dynamic logging, snapshots, and metrics collection directly within the developer's workflow.

Is Lightrun secure for production use?

Yes, Lightrun is enterprise-grade and ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified with GDPR and HIPAA alignment. It features read-only execution with instrumentation isolation that doesn't impact production, TLS 1.3 encryption in transit and AES-256 at rest backed by AWS KMS, full RBAC, SSO, and audit logging. The platform does not store source code, doesn't train models on customer data, and includes configurable retention, PII redaction, and prompt sanitization.

Can Lightrun be deployed on-premise?

Yes, Lightrun can be deployed completely on-premise without relying on any Lightrun-hosted infrastructure. It can also be deployed to air-gapped, un-networked environments. For air-gapped deployments, contact the Lightrun sales team to learn more about the specific requirements and setup process.

How does Lightrun reduce logging costs?

Lightrun customers reduce log volumes by 60% and logging costs by up to 31% by eliminating most pre-existing logs and adding precise, conditional log statements only when needed. Instead of flooding logs continuously, developers add incredibly granular log statements on-demand at specific code points, massively reducing logging volumes while maintaining debugging capability.

What integrations does Lightrun have?

Lightrun has 100+ integrations with no vendor lock-in. It seamlessly integrates with popular logging services such as Elastic, Splunk, Datadog, and more. The platform supports Logging Tool Integrations, Slack Integration for notifications, and works with your existing APM solutions. Logs and metrics can be piped to your native logger or viewed in the IDE console.

What is the ROI of using Lightrun?

Lightrun delivers 763% ROI and $5.62M NPV over a three-year period according to economic impact studies. This includes $3.87M saved via developer productivity improvements and $1.64M increased revenue due to lower MTTR. Real customer results include AT&T reducing incident resolution from 5 hours to 30 minutes, Taboola reclaiming 260+ hours monthly, and Priceline increasing developer productivity by 30% across 2000+ services.

What is the difference between Free, Pro/Teams, and Enterprise plans?

The Free Plan ($0) offers limited features for trying Lightrun AI SRE. Pro/Teams ($1,440/year) adds Conditions & TTL, Multi-Instance debugging, CLI Support, Logging Tool Integrations, Slack Integration, and Reporting. Enterprise includes everything in Pro/Teams plus Custom SSO Integrations, Unlimited Integrations, Role-Based Access Control, Full Audit Log, On-Premise Deployment capability, and dedicated Customer Success. All plans include unlimited logs, snapshots, and metrics per developer seat.

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