Kamon vs Prometheus: What are the differences?

Introduction: In this Markdown code, key differences between Kamon and Prometheus will be highlighted.

1. Data Collection: Kamon is an instrumentation library that offers tools for collecting and visualizing data about Akka applications, while Prometheus is a time-series database that collects metrics from monitored targets by scraping HTTP endpoints.

2. Monitoring Approach: Kamon provides a rich set of tracing and monitoring tools specifically designed for Akka applications, enabling detailed insights into actors, dispatchers, and routers. In contrast, Prometheus follows a pull-based model where it scrapes data from instrumented applications and services at regular intervals.

3. Data Retention: Kamon revolves around real-time monitoring and tracing of Akka applications, offering metrics visualization and insights. On the other hand, Prometheus stores time-series data with configurable retention policies, allowing users to analyze historical metrics over time.

4. Alerting and Notification: While Kamon focuses on providing deep insights into Akka applications through metrics and tracing, Prometheus comes with built-in alerting functionalities, allowing users to define rules to trigger alerts based on specific conditions.

5. Compatibility: Kamon is specifically tailored for Akka applications, offering seamless integration and comprehensive monitoring solutions for such environments. In comparison, Prometheus is a more generalized monitoring tool that can be used with various systems and applications beyond just Akka.

6. Community Support: Kamon has a more limited user base and a smaller community compared to Prometheus, which boasts a large and active user community contributing to ongoing development, support, and enhancements of the tool.

In Summary, Kamon and Prometheus differ in data collection approach, monitoring focus, data retention policies, alerting capabilities, compatibility with different systems, and community support level.