Add Request Parameters

By default, the AppSignal integrations track request parameters for web requests in supported libraries. These include query parameters and the POST request body*. For background jobs, we store the job arguments in the parameters.

*: The AppSignal for PHP package and the languages supported through our OpenTelemetry beta store the request query parameters and request payload data separately. See the request payload data section for more information on how to set request payload data separately.

🔐 Do not send Personal Identifiable Information (PII) to AppSignal. Filter PII (e.g., names, emails) and use an ID, hash, or pseudonymized identifier instead.

Use Link Templates to link them back in your app.

You can set custom parameters on a transaction or span. Modifying the parameters of a transaction will overwrite the data set by the AppSignal instrumentations. All parameters are filtered by our integrations before being sent to our servers. See the table below for a list of accepted root values per language. Each nested object can contain values that result in valid JSON (strings, integers, floats, booleans, nulls, etc.).

Language	Accepted root values
Ruby	Arrays, Hashes
JavaScript	Arrays, Objects
Elixir	Lists, Maps
Python	Lists, Maps
Go	JSON serialized string
Java	JSON serialized string
PHP	Arrays, Objects

The below code sample shows how to set custom request parameters:

# Values are merged at the top level
Appsignal.add_request_payload(
  :post => {
    :title => "My title",
    :body => "Post text."
  }
)
Appsignal.add_request_payload(:user => { :login => "some_name" })
Appsignal.add_request_payload(:user => { :id => 123 })
# Parameters:
# {
#   :post => { :title => "My title", :body => "Post text." },
#   :user => { :id => 123 }
# }

# Values are merged at the top level
Appsignal.add_params(
  :post => {
    :title => "My title",
    :body => "Post text."
  }
)
Appsignal.add_params(:user => { :login => "some_name" })
Appsignal.add_params(:user => { :id => 123 })
# Parameters:
# {
#   :post => { :title => "My title", :body => "Post text." },
#   :user => { :id => 123 }
# }

Appsignal.Span.set_sample_data(
  Appsignal.Tracer.root_span,
  "params",
  %{
    post: %{
      title: "My new blog post!",
      body: "Some long blog post text."
    }
  }
)

import { setParams } from "@appsignal/nodejs";

setParams({
  post: {
    title: "My new blog post!",
    body: "Some long blog post text.",
  },
});

from appsignal import set_params

set_params({
  post: {
    title: "My new blog post!",
    body: "Some long blog post text."
  }
})

// Additional setup is required to first fetch or create a new span
import (
	"encoding/json"

	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/attribute"
	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace"
)

params := map[string]interface{}{
	"param1": "value1",
	"param2": "value2",
	"nested": map[string]interface{}{
		"param3": "value3",
		"param4": "value4",
	},
}
json, _ := json.Marshal(params)
span.SetAttributes(attribute.String("appsignal.request.query_parameters", string(json)))

// Additional setup is required to first fetch or create a new span
import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.Span;
// We're using the Jackson JSON library
// You may need to add it to your project as a dependency
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

Map<String, Object> queryParams = new HashMap<>();
queryParams.put("param1", "value1");
queryParams.put("param2", "value2");

Map<String, String> nested = new HashMap<>();
nested.put("param3", "value3");
nested.put("param4", "value4");
queryParams.put("nested", nested);

try {
    ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
    String jsonString = mapper.writeValueAsString(queryParams);

    Span span = Span.current();
    span.setAttribute("appsignal.request.query_parameters", jsonString);
} catch (Exception e) {
    // Add error handling here
}

<?php
use Appsignal\Appsignal;

$params = [
    'param1' => 'value1',
    'param2' => 'value2',
    'nested' => [
        'param3' => 'value3',
        'param4' => 'value4',
    ],
];

Appsignal::setParams($params);

For certain languages, additional setup is required. Please follow the instructions for these languages:

Go
Java

Parameter types in AppSignal for Ruby

Version 5.0.0 of the Ruby gem separates parameters into three types, and gives each type its own method:

# The body of a request.
Appsignal.add_request_payload(:post => { :title => "My title" })

# The parameters read from a request's query string.
Appsignal.add_query_parameters(:page => "2")

# The arguments a background job or script was called with.
Appsignal.add_function_parameters(:user_id => 123)

In collector mode, each type is reported as its own attribute. You can filter and turn each one off separately. Otherwise all three write to the same parameters and show up in the same box. Values merge at the root level, so keys set once accumulate and a key set twice keeps the last value. Appsignal.add_params and Appsignal.set_params still work. In collector mode they are deprecated, because they do not say which type the parameters are, so everything they set becomes the request payload. AppSignal warns the first time you use them. Use the method that matches your data instead, or Appsignal.add_custom_data for data that is none of the three.

Request payload data

The AppSignal for PHP package, version 5.0.0 and higher of the AppSignal for Ruby gem, and the languages supported through our OpenTelemetry beta store the request query parameters and request payload data separately. This section describes how to set the request payload data from POST requests. You can set custom request payload data on a span. Modifying the request payload data of a span will overwrite the data set by the AppSignal instrumentations. All parameters are filtered by our integrations before being sent to our servers. See the table below for a list of accepted root values per language. Each nested object can contain values that result in valid JSON (strings, integers, floats, booleans, nulls, etc.).

Language	Accepted root values
Ruby	Arrays, Hashes
Go	JSON serialized string
Java	JSON serialized string
PHP	Arrays, Objects

The below code sample shows how to set custom request payload data:

Appsignal.add_request_payload(
  :post => {
    :title => "My title",
    :body => "Post text."
  }
)

// Additional setup is required to first fetch or create a new span
import (
	"encoding/json"

	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/attribute"
	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace"
)

payload := map[string]interface{}{
	"param1": "value1",
	"param2": "value2",
	"nested": map[string]interface{}{
		"param3": "value3",
		"param4": "value4",
	},
}
json, _ := json.Marshal(payload)
span.SetAttributes(attribute.String("appsignal.request.payload", string(json)))

// Additional setup is required to first fetch or create a new span
import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.Span;
// We're using the Jackson JSON library
// You may need to add it to your project as a dependency
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

Map<String, Object> payload = new HashMap<>();
payload.put("param1", "value1");
payload.put("param2", "value2");

Map<String, String> nested = new HashMap<>();
nested.put("param3", "value3");
nested.put("param4", "value4");
payload.put("nested", nested);

try {
    ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
    String jsonString = mapper.writeValueAsString(payload);

    Span span = Span.current();
    span.setAttribute("appsignal.request.payload", jsonString);
} catch (Exception e) {
    // Add error handling here
}

<?php
use Appsignal\Appsignal;

$payload = [
    'param1' => 'value1',
    'param2' => 'value2',
    'nested' => [
        'param3' => 'value3',
        'param4' => 'value4',
    ],
];

Appsignal::setPayload($payload);

For certain languages, additional setup is required. Please follow the instructions for these languages:

Go
Java

Limitations

If the application sets request query parameters or request payload data multiple times, the Ruby gem will merge values at the root level. For other integrations, only the last set value is stored.

Homepage

Guides

Parameter types in AppSignal for Ruby

Request payload data

Limitations

​Parameter types in AppSignal for Ruby

​Request payload data

​Limitations

Parameter types in AppSignal for Ruby

Request payload data

Limitations