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Client Registration

To monitor your applications with Spring Boot Admin, they need to register with the Admin Server. There are three main approaches to achieve this:

  1. Spring Boot Admin Client - Direct registration
  2. Spring Cloud Discovery - Automatic registration via service discovery
  3. Static Configuration - Manual configuration on the server side

Using Spring Boot Admin Client​

The Spring Boot Admin Client library enables applications to register themselves directly with the Admin Server.

Step 1: Add Dependencies​

Add the Spring Boot Admin Client starter to your application:

pom.xml
<dependency>
    <groupId>de.codecentric</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-admin-starter-client</artifactId>
    <version>4.1.2</version>
</dependency>

For Gradle:

build.gradle
implementation 'de.codecentric:spring-boot-admin-starter-client:4.1.2'

Step 2: Configure the Admin Server URL​

Add the Admin Server URL to your application.properties or application.yml:

application.yml
spring:
  boot:
    admin:
      client:
        url: http://localhost:8080  # URL of your Admin Server

management:
  endpoints:
    web:
      exposure:
        include: "*"  # Expose all actuator endpoints
  endpoint:
    health:
      show-details: ALWAYS
  info:
    env:
      enabled: true  # Enable the info endpoint
application.properties
spring.boot.admin.client.url=http://localhost:8080
management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=*
management.endpoint.health.show-details=ALWAYS
management.info.env.enabled=true

Step 3: Start Your Application​

When your application starts, it will automatically register with the Admin Server. You'll see your application appear in the Admin Server's web interface.

Client Configuration Options​

Custom Instance Metadata​

Add custom metadata to your application registration:

application.yml
spring:
  boot:
    admin:
      client:
        instance:
          metadata:
            tags:
              environment: production
              region: us-east-1
            team: platform

Custom Service URL​

Override the service URL that the Admin Server uses to connect:

application.yml
spring:
  boot:
    admin:
      client:
        instance:
          service-url: https://my-app.example.com
          service-host-type: IP  # or CANONICAL

Registration Interval​

Configure how often the client registers with the server:

application.yml
spring:
  boot:
    admin:
      client:
        period: 10000  # milliseconds (default: 10000)
        auto-registration: true  # Enable/disable auto-registration

Using Spring Cloud Discovery​

If you're using Spring Cloud Discovery (Eureka, Consul, Zookeeper), you don't need the Spring Boot Admin Client. The Admin Server can discover applications automatically.

Eureka Example​

Step 1: Add Eureka Client Dependency​

Add to your application:

pom.xml
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-cloud-starter-netflix-eureka-client</artifactId>
</dependency>

Step 2: Configure Eureka​

application.yml
eureka:
  client:
    serviceUrl:
      defaultZone: http://localhost:8761/eureka/
  instance:
    leaseRenewalIntervalInSeconds: 10
    health-check-url-path: /actuator/health
    metadata-map:
      startup: ${random.int}  # Trigger info update after restart

management:
  endpoints:
    web:
      exposure:
        include: "*"
  endpoint:
    health:
      show-details: ALWAYS

Step 3: Enable Discovery on Admin Server​

Add Eureka client to your Admin Server:

pom.xml
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-cloud-starter-netflix-eureka-client</artifactId>
</dependency>

Enable discovery in the Admin Server:

SpringBootAdminApplication.java
import org.springframework.cloud.client.discovery.EnableDiscoveryClient;

@EnableDiscoveryClient
@EnableAdminServer
@SpringBootApplication
public class SpringBootAdminApplication {
    static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(SpringBootAdminApplication.class, args);
    }
}

Consul Example​

application.yml
spring:
  cloud:
    consul:
      discovery:
        metadata:
          user-name: ${spring.security.user.name}
          user-password: ${spring.security.user.password}
warning

Consul does not allow dots (".") in metadata keys. Use dashes instead (e.g., user-name instead of user.name).

Zookeeper Example​

For Zookeeper integration, see the spring-boot-admin-sample-zookeeper example.

Static Configuration​

You can configure applications statically on the Admin Server using Spring Cloud's SimpleDiscoveryClient.

application.yml (Admin Server)
spring:
  cloud:
    discovery:
      client:
        simple:
          instances:
            my-application:
              - uri: http://localhost:8081
                metadata:
                  management.context-path: /actuator

This approach is useful for:

  • Legacy applications that can't be modified
  • Applications running in environments without service discovery
  • Static infrastructure setups

Securing Client Registration​

When your Admin Server is secured, clients need credentials to register:

application.yml (Client)
spring:
  boot:
    admin:
      client:
        url: http://localhost:8080
        username: admin
        password: secret

For more details, see Security.

Exposing Actuator Endpoints​

Spring Boot Admin requires access to actuator endpoints. Ensure they are properly exposed:

application.yml
management:
  endpoints:
    web:
      exposure:
        include: "*"  # Expose all endpoints
      # Or be more specific:
      # include: health,info,metrics,env,loggers
warning

In production, carefully consider which endpoints to expose and implement proper security measures.

Verifying Registration​

After configuring your client:

  1. Start your Admin Server
  2. Start your client application
  3. Navigate to the Admin Server UI (http://localhost:8080)
  4. Your application should appear in the applications list

Check the logs for registration confirmation:

INFO: Application registered itself as <instance-id>

Troubleshooting​

Application Not Appearing​

  • Verify the Admin Server URL is correct
  • Check network connectivity between client and server
  • Ensure actuator endpoints are exposed
  • Review client logs for registration errors
  • Verify security credentials if server is secured

Registration Keeps Failing​

  • Check if the Admin Server is running
  • Verify firewall rules allow communication
  • Ensure the management port is accessible
  • Check for proxy or network configuration issues

Next Steps​

Example Projects​