Intel has launched its Continuous Profiler into the open-source realm, marking a significant step in its mission to make software development more efficient and applications run smoother. Developed by Intel® Granulate™, this tool represents Intel’s ongoing effort to create an open ecosystem that benefits developers by making their work easier and more productive.

The essence of the Continuous Profiler is its ability to consolidate multiple profiling tools into one comprehensive view, presented as a flame graph. This innovation offers a straightforward way for developers, performance engineers, and DevOps teams to spot inefficiencies in real-time. It’s already being put to good use by companies like ironSource, ShareChat, and Snap Inc., helping them to find and fix bottlenecks quickly.

Asaf Ezra, the general manager at Intel Granulate, sums it up nicely: “The Continuous Profiler is central to our efforts at Intel Granulate. It’s all about making it easier for businesses to fine-tune their applications.” Brendan Gregg, an Intel Fellow, points out the practical benefits of the tool: it visually reveals where the CPU’s efforts are going, which opens up opportunities for cost reduction, eliminating slowdowns, and improving overall performance.

The Continuous Profiler stands out because it builds on gProfiler’s capabilities, merging several sampling profilers into one clear visualization of CPU activity. Its flame graphs are designed to be easy to navigate, highlighting areas of performance regression like garbage collection or deadlocks, which can help streamline software deployment.

Moreover, the profiler works seamlessly with Intel Granulate’s optimization services and can be set up across a cluster within minutes. It supports a wide range of programming languages without needing any changes to the code. Plus, it’s SOC2-certified and meets Intel's rigorous security standards, ensuring it’s both reliable and secure for users.

Intel is looking forward to enhancing the Continuous Profiler further, working alongside the open source community to tailor it to developers' specific needs. The aim is to uncover and address runtime bottlenecks, thereby improving application performance and user experience.

At KubeCon EU, Intel will showcase its commitment to the open-source community with over 100 internal projects and contributions to more than 300 open-source initiatives. Visitors can learn more about how Intel’s solutions facilitate the efficient and secure management of cloud-native workloads at the Intel booths.

For those interested in the Continuous Profiler, more information can be found on the Intel Granulate website and its GitHub page. This release is a clear indicator of Intel’s dedication to improving software development processes, ensuring that applications run as efficiently as possible.