IBM Support

MustGather: Instana Node.js Tracer

Troubleshooting


Problem

This guide provides essential steps for collecting data related to Instana Node.js tracer. Before contacting IBM® support for assistance, please review the information below to familiarize yourself with the troubleshooting process.

Resolving The Problem

To explore potential solutions, search for issues, access documentation, or visit support forums, head to the IBM® Support page. If you are aware of the affected component, refer to the relevant MustGather details below:
MustGather Data Collection Requirements for Instana Node.js Tracer

Monitored environment details:
  • Kind of deployment (Single host , Kubernetes, Docker, Podman, AWS Fargate/Lambda, etc.)
  • OS (Linux/ Windows) and version
  • Node.js version: 
    • node -v
  • Application type (ESM or CommonJS modules)?

Instana Node.js Tracer version:

  • Provide the version of the tracer package currently installed.
    • Example: "@instana/collector": "2.13.0"

  • Run: npm list @instana/collector or check package.json

  • If the issue appeared after an upgrade, share the last known working tracer version

Debug Logs & Error Messages:
  • Run the target application with debug enabled (INSTANA_DEBUG)
  • Target application logs:
    • Kubernetes: pod logs
    • Docker: container logs
    • AWS ECS/EKS/Fargate: task/service logs
  • Share stack traces, initialization errors, or warnings related to Instana.

  • Include the full error message (not just a snippet)

Agent logs:
  • Collect the Instana agent debug log:
    • See the MustGather page for Instana Agent for more details
Agent configuration:
  • Collect <instana-agent-dir>/etc/instana/configuration.yaml 
Instrumentation type:
  • Autotrace Webhook:
    • Which Kubernetes distribution/version?
    • Share webhook pod log
    • Any custom webhook configuration (e.g., disabled modules, extra env vars)?
  • Serverless (AWS Lambda):
    • Deployment Region – e.g., us-east-1.
    • Backend URL Configured – default or custom.
    • Lambda Timeout Value – function timeout in seconds.
    • Deployment Method – AWS Lambda Layer (@instana/aws-lambda) or manual instrumentation.
    • Function Exposure – how is the function invoked? (API Gateway, EventBridge, SQS, direct invocation, etc.).
    • VPC Configuration – is the Lambda inside a VPC?
    • CloudWatch Logs – full logs from cold start through invocation (helps identify initialization or instrumentation errors).
Additional output & files to collect:
  • SaaS URL detail
  • package.json:
    • Share your package.json file if possible that can help us to check dependencies and conflicts.
  • Describe recent changes that may have caused the issue (upgrades, deployment, environment changes, configuration/instrumentation modifications, code changes, etc.)

  • Anything custom about the environment or configuration (e.g., proxies, network restrictions, custom instrumentation)

Document Location

Worldwide

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Document Information

Modified date:
13 October 2025

UID

ibm17245682

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