New Relic

What is New Relic?

New Relic is a comprehensive observability platform providing visibility into the performance and health of software applications, infrastructure, and digital experiences. Founded in 2008 by Lew Cirne, a pioneer in application performance monitoring, New Relic has evolved from an APM-focused tool into a full-stack observability platform. The company serves over 16,000 customers globally, from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises, helping engineering teams understand, troubleshoot, and optimize their systems.

What distinguishes New Relic is its telemetry data platform approach, built on a powerful database (NRDB) designed specifically for observability data. This architecture enables the platform to ingest metrics, events, logs, and traces at massive scale while providing fast, flexible querying through the NRQL query language. Engineers can ask arbitrary questions about their systems without predefined dashboards, unlocking investigative capabilities that traditional monitoring tools cannot match.

New Relic’s transformation under CEO Bill Staples includes significant moves to democratize observability. The introduction of a generous free tier providing 100GB of free data ingestion monthly opened enterprise-grade observability to teams previously priced out of comprehensive monitoring. This approach, combined with simplified consumption-based pricing, positions New Relic as both an enterprise solution and an accessible option for smaller organizations beginning their observability journey.

Key Features

• APM (Application Performance Monitoring): Distributed tracing, service maps, and transaction analysis across applications written in major programming languages.
• Infrastructure Monitoring: Host, container, and cloud infrastructure visibility with automatic discovery and integration with major cloud providers.
• Log Management: Centralized logging with correlation to traces and infrastructure, pattern detection, and powerful querying.
• Browser Monitoring: Real user monitoring tracking frontend performance, JavaScript errors, and user sessions across web applications.
• Mobile Monitoring: Native mobile application monitoring for iOS and Android with crash reporting and user interaction tracking.
• Synthetic Monitoring: Proactive monitoring with scripted tests from global locations catching issues before users experience them.
• NRQL Querying: Powerful query language enabling ad-hoc analysis, custom dashboards, and programmatic alerting across all telemetry data.
• AI Assistant: Natural language querying and automated analysis helping engineers investigate issues faster.
• Errors Inbox: Unified error management across the stack with grouping, assignment, and resolution tracking.
• Vulnerability Management: Security scanning identifying vulnerable dependencies in monitored applications.

Recent Updates and Improvements

New Relic continues platform evolution with AI-powered features and expanded capabilities across observability domains.

• New Relic AI: Generative AI assistant answering questions in natural language and providing automated insights and recommendations.
• IAST: Interactive Application Security Testing identifying vulnerabilities through runtime analysis during normal operation.
• CodeStream Integration: IDE integration bringing observability data directly into developer workflows.
• Service Levels: SLO management with automated tracking and alerting on service level objectives.
• Kubernetes APM: Enhanced Kubernetes monitoring with automatic instrumentation and correlation across pods.
• Log Parsing: Improved log parsing with automatic detection and extraction of structured data.
• Workload Optimization: Rightsizing recommendations for cloud resources based on actual utilization data.
• Network Monitoring: Expanded network visibility including flow data and cloud network analytics.

System Requirements

New Relic (Web Interface)

• Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• JavaScript enabled
• Stable internet connection
• New Relic account

New Relic Agent (Windows)

• Windows Server 2012+ or Windows 10/11
• NET Framework 4.6.2+ for .NET agent
• Language-specific requirements vary

New Relic Agent (macOS)

• macOS 10.14 or later
• Language runtime requirements vary by agent

New Relic Agent (Linux)

• Most Linux distributions supported
• Language-specific runtime requirements
• Container support for Docker and Kubernetes

How to Get Started with New Relic

Account Setup

1. Visit newrelic.com and sign up for free account
2. Create account with email or Google/GitHub SSO
3. Choose initial instrumentation (guided or manual)
4. Install agents for your applications
5. Configure dashboards and alerts

# Install New Relic CLI
brew tap newrelic/tap
brew install newrelic-cli

# Or download binary from GitHub
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/newrelic/newrelic-cli/master/scripts/install.sh | bash

# Configure CLI
newrelic profile add --profile default --apiKey YOUR_USER_API_KEY --region US

# Install infrastructure agent (macOS)
brew install newrelic-infra-agent

# Start infrastructure agent
sudo brew services start newrelic-infra-agent

Windows Installation

# Download and install MSI from New Relic
# https://download.newrelic.com/infrastructure_agent/windows/

# Using PowerShell
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
$ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://download.newrelic.com/infrastructure_agent/windows/newrelic-infra.msi -OutFile newrelic-infra.msi
msiexec.exe /qn /i newrelic-infra.msi

# Configure license key
# Edit C:\Program Files\New Relic\newrelic-infra\newrelic-infra.yml
# license_key: YOUR_LICENSE_KEY

# Start service
net start newrelic-infra

Linux Installation

# Ubuntu/Debian
curl -s https://download.newrelic.com/infrastructure_agent/gpg/newrelic-infra.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
echo "deb https://download.newrelic.com/infrastructure_agent/linux/apt focal main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/newrelic-infra.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install newrelic-infra

# Configure
sudo nano /etc/newrelic-infra.yml
# Add: license_key: YOUR_LICENSE_KEY

# Start service
sudo systemctl start newrelic-infra

# Kubernetes via Helm
helm repo add newrelic https://helm-charts.newrelic.com
helm install newrelic-bundle newrelic/nri-bundle --set global.licenseKey=YOUR_LICENSE_KEY

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Generous Free Tier: 100GB free data ingestion monthly enables comprehensive observability without cost for smaller deployments.
• Unified Platform: Single platform for APM, infrastructure, logs, browser, mobile, and synthetic monitoring reduces tool sprawl.
• NRQL Power: Flexible query language enables sophisticated ad-hoc analysis not possible with predefined dashboards.
• Easy Onboarding: Guided installation and auto-instrumentation reduce time-to-value for new implementations.
• Full Stack Visibility: Correlation across frontend, backend, and infrastructure provides complete system understanding.
• Simple Pricing: Consumption-based model (per GB ingested plus users) is more predictable than per-host pricing.
• AI Assistance: Natural language querying and automated insights accelerate troubleshooting.

Cons

• Data Costs at Scale: High-volume environments can accumulate significant ingestion costs beyond free tier.
• User Pricing: Per-user costs add up for larger teams, particularly with full platform access.
• Learning Curve: NRQL and platform depth require investment to utilize effectively.
• Historical Complexity: Legacy products and migrations created some platform fragmentation.
• Agent Overhead: Some language agents add measurable overhead to application performance.

New Relic vs Alternatives

Who Should Use New Relic?

New Relic is ideal for:

• Startups and SMBs: The generous free tier provides enterprise-grade observability accessible to smaller organizations.
• Full-Stack Teams: Organizations wanting unified visibility from browser to backend to infrastructure.
• Data-Driven Engineers: Teams that value flexible querying over predefined dashboards appreciate NRQL.
• Cloud-Native Applications: Kubernetes and microservices deployments benefit from distributed tracing and correlation.
• DevOps Practices: Teams practicing continuous delivery need observability throughout the development lifecycle.
• Cost-Conscious Enterprises: The consumption model can be more predictable than per-host pricing.

New Relic may not be ideal for:

• Extremely High Volume: Environments generating massive telemetry may find ingestion costs challenging.
• Open Source Committed: Organizations preferring open-source stacks may choose Prometheus/Grafana alternatives.
• Log-Centric Workflows: Teams primarily focused on log analysis may find specialized tools more suitable.
• Minimal Monitoring Needs: Simple applications may not require comprehensive observability investment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is New Relic really free?

Yes, New Relic offers a perpetual free tier including 100GB of data ingestion per month, one full platform user, and unlimited basic users. This is genuinely free forever, not a trial. The free tier includes APM, infrastructure, logs, browser monitoring, and synthetic checks. Most small applications and development environments fit within these limits. Costs apply when exceeding ingestion limits or adding full platform users.

How does New Relic pricing work?

New Relic uses consumption-based pricing with two components: data ingestion charged per GB beyond the free 100GB, and users charged based on access level. Full platform users have complete access; core users have limited access; basic users are free. Data costs approximately $0.30-0.50 per GB depending on commitment. This model differs from per-host pricing, benefiting organizations with many small services.

How does New Relic compare to Datadog?

Both are comprehensive observability platforms with similar capabilities. New Relic offers a more generous free tier and consumption-based pricing that may suit some organizations better. Datadog has more integrations and arguably stronger infrastructure monitoring. New Relic’s NRQL provides more flexible querying. Datadog’s per-host pricing benefits environments with few high-volume hosts. Evaluation should consider pricing models, specific integrations needed, and team preferences.

What is NRQL and why does it matter?

NRQL (New Relic Query Language) is a SQL-like language for querying New Relic’s telemetry database. Unlike platforms limited to predefined dashboards, NRQL enables arbitrary questions: correlating custom metrics with errors, analyzing percentile distributions, or finding patterns across services. This flexibility proves valuable during incident investigation when predefined views don’t answer specific questions. Learning NRQL unlocks the platform’s full analytical power.

Can New Relic monitor serverless functions?

Yes, New Relic provides serverless monitoring for AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions. The Lambda integration uses layers for automatic instrumentation. You get invocation metrics, duration tracking, cold start analysis, and distributed tracing connecting serverless to other services. Serverless monitoring counts toward data ingestion, so high-volume functions impact costs accordingly.

Final Verdict

New Relic has successfully reinvented itself as an accessible yet powerful observability platform. The generous free tier genuinely democratizes enterprise-grade monitoring, enabling organizations of any size to implement comprehensive observability. The NRQL query language provides analytical flexibility that predefined dashboard approaches cannot match, empowering engineers to investigate issues without limitations.

The unified platform approach reduces operational complexity compared to assembling multiple specialized tools. Correlation between APM traces, infrastructure metrics, logs, and browser sessions provides the complete visibility modern applications require. Continuous innovation including AI assistance keeps the platform competitive with observability market leaders.

For organizations seeking comprehensive observability without prohibitive upfront costs, New Relic deserves serious consideration. The free tier enables evaluation and small deployments without commitment. Consumption-based pricing provides transparency for larger deployments. While high-volume environments require cost management attention, the platform’s capabilities and accessibility make it a compelling choice across organization sizes.