Red Hat build of Cryostat 4.2 is now generally available (GA) and brings new tools to the Java monitoring ecosystem. This update focuses on data insights, profiling, and more granular automation for JDK Flight Recorder (JFR).
If you are troubleshooting a memory leak in a production pod or automating performance regression tests, Red Hat build of Cryostat 4.2 provides the specialized tooling needed to manage Java Virtual Machine (JVM) performance. Because it deploys on OpenShift, it can scale to Java projects running in OpenShift environments.
New features and updates in Red Hat build of Cryostat 4.2
This update introduces tools to help you analyze flight recordings, profile applications, and manage automated triggers.
Support for JFR analytics (SQL queries)
A key feature in version 4.2 is the ability to run SQL queries directly against archived JFR recordings. Previously, analyzing JFR data required downloading files to local tools like JDK Mission Control.
Now, a new Analytics view (found under Flight Recorder → Analyze) allows you to:
- Run SQL queries on captured data without leaving the Cryostat console.
- Perform custom analysis to find specific events or performance trends.
- Export results in JSON format to integrate with external alerting or dashboarding systems.
Integration with async-profiler (beta)
Red Hat build of Cryostat 4.2 introduces beta support for async-profiler, a widely used sampling profiler for Java. By integrating async-profiler, developers can capture stack traces without hitting JVM safepoints, avoiding the safepoint bias that can skew performance data.
How to use it:
- Use the
-javaagentflag to attach theasync-profiler.jarto your application. - Access the new async-profiler view under Flight Recorder → Capture.
- Create profiling sessions, download JFR-formatted profiles, and identify CPU bottlenecks or lock contentions remotely.
Remote management for smart triggers
Smart triggers allow Red Hat build of Cryostat to start recordings dynamically based on MBean conditions (for example, "Start recording if CPU usage > 80%"). In version 4.2, these are no longer restricted to command-line interface (CLI) or environment variable configurations.
- Web console support: A new Triggers view lets you define, search, and delete smart triggers via a graphical interface.
- Declarative configuration: Using the Cryostat operator, you can now use the
cryostat.io/smart-triggerslabel in your application deployment to point to a ConfigMap containing trigger definitions.
Observability and security enhancements
Version 4.2 includes updates to help you track system changes and analyze diagnostic data with security in mind.
Audit logging
To meet enterprise compliance needs, Red Hat build of Cryostat 4.2 introduces audit logging. This feature tracks interactions, whether from a human user or a programmatic API client.
- Trackable actions: Starting and stopping recordings, deleting archives, and updating automated rules.
- Visibility: A new Audit Log view under the Security menu provides a searchable, paginated history of all system revisions.
Thread dump analysis
The Analyze Thread Dumps view (under Diagnostics → Analyze) now features built-in visualization tools. You can view pie charts for thread states and running methods, and get a score for specific findings like detected deadlocks, helping you decide if a full download and thorough review are necessary.
Improved developer experience on OpenShift
Red Hat build of Cryostat 4.2 is now built using PatternFly 6, ensuring a modern, accessible, and consistent user interface (UI).
| Feature | Enhancement |
| Registration wizard | A multi-step wizard in the OpenShift console for injecting the Cryostat agent into workloads with custom log levels and ports. |
| Persistence | Navigation state (expanded or collapsed menus) is now saved across browser refreshes. |
| All Archives view | Now supports filtering by time range and lineage labels (Namespace, Deployment), making it easier to find data from a specific pod. |
| ConfigMap support | Preload trusted TLS certificates via ConfigMaps instead of only Secrets using the spec.trustedCertSecrets.configMapName property. |
How to get started
You can deploy Red Hat build of Cryostat 4.2 on Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.12 or later (x86_64 and Arm64). Note that the web console plug-in specifically requires OpenShift 4.19 or later for PatternFly 6 compatibility; however, the standalone web console remains available for older versions.
For a full list of bug fixes, including resolved race conditions and increased JVM hash ID uniqueness, check out the official Red Hat Customer Portal.
