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Quick start

Three steps. No agent. No bytecode weaving. No custom runtime.

1. Add the dependency

Pulse is on Maven Central.

<dependency>
  <groupId>io.github.arun0009</groupId>
  <artifactId>pulse-spring-boot-starter</artifactId>
  <version>2.0.0</version>
</dependency>

implementation("io.github.arun0009:pulse-spring-boot-starter:2.0.0")

implementation 'io.github.arun0009:pulse-spring-boot-starter:2.0.0'
Logback users — opt out of Log4j2

Pulse defaults to Log4j2 (Spring Boot's higher-throughput logging backend). To use Logback instead:

<dependency>
  <groupId>io.github.arun0009</groupId>
  <artifactId>pulse-spring-boot-starter</artifactId>
  <exclusions>
    <exclusion>
      <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
      <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-log4j2</artifactId>
    </exclusion>
  </exclusions>
</dependency>
<dependency>
  <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
  <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-logging</artifactId>
</dependency>

Pulse's logback-spring.xml produces the exact same JSON shape as the Log4j2 path. Same field set, same PII masking, same resource attributes. Dashboards work unchanged.

2. Point at your OTel Collector

Skip this if you already have OTLP env vars set:

export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:4318
Don't have a Collector yet?

Pulse ships a single-command local stack — Collector, Prometheus, Grafana, Jaeger, and Loki, all wired up:

docker compose -f deploy/local-stack/docker-compose.yml up -d

Details on the local stack page.

3. Start your app and verify

The exact command depends on your build (./mvnw spring-boot:run, ./gradlew bootRun, etc.). Once it's up, ask the actuator whether spans are landing — substitute your management port (default 8080):

$ curl -s localhost:8080/actuator/health/otelExporter
{"status":"UP","details":{"lastSuccessAgeMs":1230,"totalSuccess":14}}

That's it. Every Pulse feature is on by default with sensible production defaults, and the diagnostic UI tells you exactly what's running.

What now?

  • See what's running

    Open /actuator/pulseui in your browser for a single-page summary of every Pulse feature — what's on, what's off, which configuration won.

  • Learn the model

    Concepts explains how Pulse threads context through Spring, OTel, MDC, baggage, and outbound clients.

  • Browse features

    The feature catalogue groups all 25 features by use case, with config keys and links to runbooks.

  • Tune for production

    The configuration reference covers sampling, budgets, and SLO objectives. The production checklist is the cutover bar.