Build more resilient flow apps with runtime monitoring and app sizing
As flow apps grow in complexity, understanding how they behave at runtime becomes just as important as building them.
CPU usage increases, memory consumption grows, throughput changes, and workloads evolve over time. The challenge is recognizing when those changes matter and knowing what action to take.
Runtime Monitoring helps you understand what’s happening inside your flow app while it runs. qibb’s App Sizing guidance helps you decide whether your app has the resources it needs to support its workload.
Together, they give teams greater confidence when operating, optimizing, and scaling flow apps.
Gain insight into your flow app at runtime
The Runtime Monitor provides operational insight directly inside the Flow Editor, giving teams a live view of important runtime metrics without leaving their development environment.
You can monitor:
- CPU usage
- Memory usage
- Message throughput across flows
- HTTP request rates
- App uptime
- Flow start times
- Total node count
Together, these metrics help you understand how resources are being used and provide valuable context when investigating performance or stability issues.
Detect resource constraints earlier
Most resource issues develop gradually rather than appearing all at once.
Traffic spikes, larger payloads, additional deployed nodes, or increasingly complex flow logic can all place greater demands on your application over time.
Without runtime metrics, teams often have limited context when troubleshooting unexpected behaviour.
Runtime Monitoring helps close that gap by making operational data visible while your app is running.
When configured thresholds are exceeded, visual alerts appear directly in the Flow Editor for CPU usage, memory usage, message throughput, HTTP request rates, and deployed node count. These alerts help teams recognise increasing resource pressure early and provide guidance for further investigation.
Rather than diagnosing the root cause, Runtime Monitoring helps surface the signals that indicate where investigation should begin.
Runtime metrics are only the first step
Monitoring tells you what is happening.
The next question is: Is the app still the right size for the workload?
This is where qibb’s App Sizing guidance becomes valuable.
Runtime metrics help you understand how your application is performing today. App Sizing helps you interpret those signals and determine whether your current app size still matches the workload your flows need to handle.
Sometimes the answer is optimization. Sometimes it’s choosing a larger app size. Often, it’s a combination of both.
Choosing the right app size
Selecting an app size isn’t about how many workflows you deploy. It’s about the workload those workflows generate.
A small number of resource-intensive flows may require more capacity than dozens of lightweight automations.
When Runtime Monitoring consistently shows your application operating close to its resource limits, it’s worth stepping back and looking at the bigger picture. Consider questions such as:
- Has the workload increased since the app was deployed?
- Are payloads or flow logic becoming more resource-intensive?
- Has the number of deployed nodes grown significantly?
- Is the current app size still appropriate for expected future demand?
If Runtime Monitoring consistently shows your app operating close to its resource limits, it may be worth reviewing your flow design before increasing capacity.
Simplifying flow logic, reducing payload sizes, removing unused nodes, or distributing workloads across multiple apps may reduce resource consumption. If resource pressure persists, selecting a larger app size may be the appropriate next step.
Runtime Monitoring tells you what is happening. App Sizing guidance helps you decide what to do next.
Getting started
Runtime Monitoring requires Flow App version 5.2.0 or higher.
If your app is running an earlier version, it must be updated before Runtime Monitoring becomes available.
To learn more, explore our documentation:
If you’re planning an upgrade or would like guidance on optimizing your flow apps, get in touch with the qibb team.
FAQ
What is Runtime Monitoring in qibb?
Runtime Monitoring provides visibility into the operational health of your flow apps directly inside the Flow Editor. It displays runtime metrics such as CPU usage, memory usage, message throughput, HTTP request rates, app uptime, flow start times, and total node count to help teams understand resource usage and investigate performance or stability issues.
Which metrics are included?
CPU usage, memory usage, message throughput, HTTP request rates, app uptime, flow start times, and total node count. It also displays visual alerts in the Flow Editor when configured resource thresholds are exceeded.
Does Runtime Monitoring monitor workflow execution?
No. Runtime Monitoring focuses on the runtime behavior and resource usage of a flow app rather than individual workflow execution. It helps teams understand how the underlying application is performing while flows are running.
How does Runtime Monitoring help optimize flow apps?
By exposing runtime metrics and resource usage, Runtime Monitoring helps teams identify potential bottlenecks, investigate resource constraints, and make informed decisions about flow optimization, workload distribution, or app sizing.
When should I consider increasing my app size?
If Runtime Monitoring consistently shows high CPU usage, memory consumption, message throughput, or other resource metrics approaching their thresholds, it may indicate that your app has outgrown its current size. Before increasing capacity, it’s also worth reviewing flow logic, payload sizes, deployed nodes, and overall application design to determine whether optimization can reduce resource usage.
What’s the difference between Runtime Monitoring and App Sizing?
Runtime Monitoring shows how your flow app is behaving today by exposing runtime metrics and resource usage. App Sizing provides guidance to help determine whether your current app size is appropriate for the workload your flows need to handle. Together, they help teams make informed operational decisions as workloads evolve.
What version of qibb is required for Runtime Monitoring?
Runtime Monitoring is available for Flow Apps running version 5.2.0 or later. Apps running earlier versions must be upgraded before the Runtime Monitor becomes available.
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