topic Pro Tip - Management Zones in Kubernetes environments (possible solution) in Dynatrace tips

Pro Tip - Management Zones in Kubernetes environments (possible solution)

Mizső — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 06:18:07 GMT

Hi Folks,

I know that segments will be the future and MZ will be retired, but until that maybe you can use this possible solution for MZ management in kubernetes environments.

Let's assume you organize your applications by namespace level and you need MZ for filtering and access management purposes.

Basic of these Management zones are tags. So the first step is tagging the belonging entitis. Only one concrete value in this solution the namesapce name (or namespaces) . Rest of the tags are dinamic. I am trying to collect all relevant entities with in a namesapce. Only one entitiy type is missing the Cloud Application Insatance. It is not allowed to tag this entitiy type.

Here is an example for tagging. Atomatiacally applied tag name is okduat_8. The namespace selector is entityName.startsWith(\"uat8\")

"value": {

"name": "okduat_8",

"rules": [

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"SERVICE\"),serviceType(DATABASE_SERVICE),toRelationships.Calls(type(\"SERVICE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"kafka:topic\"),toRelationships.Calls(type(\"kafka:consumer\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"kafka:topic\"),toRelationships.Calls(type(\"kafka:producer\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"kafka:producer\"),fromRelationships.IsSameAs(type(\"PROCESS_GROUP_INSTANCE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"kafka:consumer\"),fromRelationships.IsSameAs(type(\"PROCESS_GROUP_INSTANCE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"KUBERNETES_NODE\"),toRelationships.isClusterOfNode(type(\"KUBERNETES_CLUSTER\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CONTAINER_GROUP\"),toRelationships.isInstanceOf(type(\"CONTAINER_GROUP_INSTANCE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CONTAINER_GROUP_INSTANCE\"),fromRelationships.isCgiOfNamespace(type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION\"),toRelationships.isNamespaceOfCa(type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"SERVICE\"),fromRelationships.RunsOn(type(\"PROCESS_GROUP\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"PROCESS_GROUP\"),toRelationships.isNamespaceOfPg(type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"PROCESS_GROUP_INSTANCE\"),fromRelationships.isInstanceOf(type(\"PROCESS_GROUP\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"KUBERNETES_SERVICE\"),toRelationships.isNamespaceOfKubernetesSvc(type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"HOST\"),toRelationships.RunsOn(type(\"PROCESS_GROUP\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"HOST_GROUP\"),toRelationships.isInstanceOf(type(\"HOST\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),entityName.startsWith(\"uat8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"KUBERNETES_CLUSTER\"),fromRelationships.isClusterOfNamespace(type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

}

]

}

Here is the result in the GUI, (some extra in it the kafka entities, but you can extend it with other types of entities):

If your entities are tagged you can create the MZ rule. Here is an example for the MZ rule:

"value": {

"name": "okduat_8",

"rules": [

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_INSTANCE\"),toRelationships.isNamespaceOfCai(type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\"))"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"kafka:topic\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"kafka:producer\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"kafka:consumer\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"SERVICE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"PROCESS_GROUP\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"PROCESS_GROUP_INSTANCE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"KUBERNETES_SERVICE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"KUBERNETES_NODE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"KUBERNETES_CLUSTER\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"HOST\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"HOST_GROUP\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CONTAINER_GROUP\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CONTAINER_GROUP_INSTANCE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

{

"enabled": true,

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),tag(\"okduat_8\")"

}

]

}

Here is the GUI result of the MZ:

You can modify or extend this collection and then you can use the Settings API and of course the Monaco to implement it...

Best regards,

János

Re: Pro Tip - Management Zones in Kubernetes environments (possible solution)

prasad_arugonda — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 06:44:38 GMT

Hi @Mizső

Thanks for sharing this tip—it's quite similar to what we currently implement in our environments (no other choice).

That said, in large enterprise Kubernetes setups with hundreds of namespaces, the number of rules required can quickly become overwhelming. This not only adds operational overhead but could also have a noticeable impact on cluster performance (may be).

With Management Zones (MZs) being phased out in favor of Segments, this approach may not be sustainable in the long term. While it works for now, it might not be the most future-proof solution. 😉

Looking forward to seeing how Dynatrace evolves this transition and whether a more scalable, automated mapping between MZs and Segments will be introduced.🤞

Re: Pro Tip - Management Zones in Kubernetes environments (possible solution)

istvan_safranek — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:28:47 GMT

Hi @Mizső

I want to create some MZ with this solution. Here's the catch:

I have one team responsible for 14 namespaces and another team responsible for 6, etc.

Is it possible to configure as many MZs as I have teams, and have each of them include the entities from the corresponding number of namespaces?

Re: Pro Tip - Management Zones in Kubernetes environments (possible solution)

Mizső — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 07:08:23 GMT

Hi @istvan_safranek,

BUÉK! Szia Safi! Rég hallottam felőled, remélem jól vagy!😉

Back to business...

You should modify the tagging rules. You should put 14 or 6 Cloud Application Namespace:

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),entityName.startsWith(\"uat8\")"

BUÉK! Szia Safi! Rég hallottam felőled, remélem jól vagy!😉

Back to business...

You should modify the tagging rules. You should put 14 or 6 Cloud Application Namespace:

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),entityName.startsWith(\"uat9\")"

BUÉK! Szia Safi! Rég hallottam felőled, remélem jól vagy!😉

Back to business...

You should modify the tagging rules. You should put 14 or 6 Cloud Application Namespace:

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE\"),entityName.startsWith(\"uat10\")"

etc.

And maybe you should change the tag name from the cloud application name to the team name and replce it in every singel tagging rule:

"value": {

"name": "team_1",

"rules": [

{

"enabled": true,

"valueNormalization": "Leave text as-is",

"type": "SELECTOR",

"entitySelector": "type(\"SERVICE\"),serviceType(DATABASE_SERVICE),toRelationships.Calls(type(\"SERVICE\"),tag(\"team_1\"))"

I hope it helps. If you need any more information drop me an e-mail.

Hava a nice day.

Best regards,

Mizső

Re: Pro Tip - Management Zones in Kubernetes environments (possible solution)

istvan_safranek — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 10:00:16 GMT

Szia és BÚÉK neked is.

I created an autotag rule like this:

type(CLOUD_APPLICATION_NAMESPACE),entityName.in("namespace1","namespace2","namespace3","namespace4","namespace5")
and based on these tag I created the MZ. I hope the team will be pleased with the MZ 🙂