Get Started
Quickstart: Set up InSitu in 2 Minutes
Configure your editor, drop in the agent, and capture live production variables. Zero restarts. Zero disruption.
Getting started with InSitu takes less than 2 minutes. Choose your environment below and let’s get variables flowing.
🚀 The 2-Minute Speedrun
1
1. Configure the VS Code Extension
Search for
InSitu
in the VS Code Marketplace and click
Install
(or launch Quick Open with
Ctrl+P
/
Cmd+P
, paste
ext install InSitu.InSitu-extension
, and hit Enter).
Click the InSitu debug icon in your Activity Bar on the left.
Click the
Login
button inside the InSitu panel. You will be redirected to InSitu dashboard at
https://app.useinsitu.com
Sign in via
SSO
, create a new service, and
copy your Service UUID
from the dashboard.
2
2. Map Your Local Code (.hprc)
Create a
.hprc
file at the root of your repository to map your local workspace to your service:
.hprc
{
"serviceId"
:
"<service-uuid-from-dashboard>"
}
3
3. Add the SDK Dependency
Add the lightweight agent dependency to your project setup:
Node.js SDK
Java Agent
Install the package using your preferred package manager:
npm
pnpm
yarn
npm
install
@InSitu/node-sdk
pnpm
add
@InSitu/node-sdk
yarn
add
@InSitu/node-sdk
Download the standard agent JAR artifact from your dashboard and save it inside your server workspace:
curl
-O
https://InSitu-assets.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/static/InSitu-agent.jar
4
4. Initialize the SDK Agent
Initialize the InSitu singleton inside your codebase or launch routine:
Node.js (TypeScript)
Node.js (CommonJS)
Java JVM Agent
Create a file named
InSitu.ts
in your source root, and import it
as early as possible
in your main entrypoint (e.g.
index.ts
):
src/InSitu.ts
import
{
InSitu
}
from
'@InSitu/node-sdk'
;
InSitu
.
start
({
serviceId:
'<service-uuid-from-dashboard>'
,
environment:
process
.
env
.
NODE_ENV
,
// Your environment name (e.g. dev, staging, production). Use whatever variable contains the env value.
brokerUrl:
'https://logger.app.useinsitu.com'
,
commitSha:
process
.
env
.
GIT_COMMIT
,
// CI-injected commit SHA
distLocation:
'dist'
});
src/index.ts
import
'./InSitu.js'
;
// MUST BE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE
import
express
from
'express'
;
...
Create a file named
InSitu.js
in your source root, and require it
as early as possible
in your main entrypoint (e.g.
index.js
):
src/InSitu.js
const
{
InSitu
}
=
require
(
'@InSitu/node-sdk'
);
InSitu
.
start
({
serviceId:
'<service-uuid-from-dashboard>'
,
environment:
process
.
env
.
NODE_ENV
,
// Your environment name (e.g. dev, staging, production). Use whatever variable contains the env value.
brokerUrl:
'https://logger.app.useinsitu.com'
,
commitSha:
process
.
env
.
GIT_COMMIT
});
src/index.js
require
(
'./InSitu.js'
);
// MUST BE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE
const
express
=
require
(
'express'
);
...
No code changes required. Attach the jar at startup using JVM arguments, mapping the parameters via environment variables:
export
GIT_COMMIT
=
$(
git
rev-parse
HEAD
)
export
InSitu_SERVICE_ID
=<
service-uuid-from-dashboard
>
export
InSitu_ENVIRONMENT
=
production
# Your environment name (e.g. dev, staging, production). Use whatever variable contains the env value.
export
InSitu_BROKER_URL
=
https
://
logger
.
app
.
InSitu
.
co
java
-javaagent:/opt/InSitu/InSitu-agent.jar
-jar
app.jar
Commit SHA Alignment:
InSitu relies on
commitSha
to align your local source files with the exact code running in production. If
commitSha
is missing or resolves to
'unknown'
, the agent will refuse to initialize to protect alignment.
5
5. Place Your First Probe
Open any source file in VS Code.
Right-click an executable line of code and select
Insert a Snapshot
.
Trigger the path in your running service (e.g., hit the endpoint or perform the UI action).
6
6. View Live Variables
Inspect the live heap state, local variables, and the full call stack directly in your VS Code sidebar!
Variables and stacks will populate inside your editor’s sidebar panel the instant execution hits your probed line.
🛡️ Production Safety Checklist
Before you deploy to production, verify these two configuration items:
Source Maps / Debug Symbols Enabled:
For TypeScript/Babel projects, ensure source-maps are enabled and compiled into your build. For JVM projects, ensure debug symbols are included in compiled JAR artifacts so byte positions align.
CI Pipeline Commit Injection:
Verify that your CI pipeline is injecting the active commit SHA into the environment (e.g.
GIT_COMMIT=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
).
InSitu: Production Debugging Without Deployments
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🚀 The 2-Minute Speedrun
🛡️ Production Safety Checklist