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Why Dynatrace OneAgent Is Architecturally Different

A comparison of agent models, instrumentation depth, and data unification

Modern observability platforms all promise “full-stack visibility,” but how they collect data internally varies dramatically.
The biggest architectural divide is between single-agent runtime instrumentation and multi-agent / SDK-based telemetry collection.

This article compares Dynatrace OneAgent with Datadog, New Relic, AppDynamics, Instana, and OpenTelemetry across three critical dimensions:

• True single-agent design
• Code-free APM instrumentation
• Unified data model

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The comparison at a glance

Platform	True single agent	Code-free APM	Unified data model
Dynatrace	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Datadog	❌ No	⚠️ Partial	❌
New Relic	❌ No	⚠️ Partial	❌
AppDynamics	❌ No	⚠️ Partial	❌
Instana	⚠️ Closest	⚠️ Partial	⚠️ Partial
OpenTelemetry	❌ No	❌ No	⚠️

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What “true single agent” actually means

A true single agent:

• Runs once per host or node
• Discovers all running processes automatically
• Instruments applications without language-specific agents or SDKs
• Produces infrastructure, application, and dependency data from the same execution context

Dynatrace OneAgent

Dynatrace OneAgent operates at both OS and runtime level. It injects instrumentation modules directly into application processes and observes execution from inside the runtime.

There are:

• No per-language agents
• No tracing SDKs
• No manual service definitions

All data is derived from execution itself, not from developer-emitted telemetry.

Other platforms

Datadog, New Relic, and AppDynamics install an infrastructure agent, but APM requires language-specific agents or tracers. Even when bundled into one installer, these are logically separate collectors.

This makes them multi-agent systems by design, not single-agent platforms.

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Code-free APM: runtime instrumentation vs SDK telemetry

Dynatrace: code-free by construction

Dynatrace instruments:

• JVM, CLR, Node.js, PHP, Go runtimes
• HTTP frameworks
• Database drivers
• Messaging clients

All without modifying application code.

Tracing, metrics, and dependency detection emerge automatically because OneAgent intercepts:

• Request entry points
• Client calls
• Thread execution
• Exception paths

Datadog, New Relic, AppDynamics: partial automation

These platforms:

• Require language tracers
• Often require environment configuration
• Sometimes require code changes or annotations
• Depend on libraries reporting telemetry

While automation exists, it is not universal nor runtime-level.

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Unified data model: correlation at capture time vs later stitching

Dynatrace: unified by design

Dynatrace creates:

• One causal graph
• One entity model (host → process → service → dependency)
• One timeline

Metrics, traces, logs, topology, and user experience are correlated at collection time, not after ingestion.

This enables:

• Accurate root cause analysis
• Noise suppression
• Deterministic service mapping

Others: stitched after ingestion

Most platforms:

• Collect metrics, traces, and logs independently
• Correlate them later using IDs and tags
• Depend on consistent instrumentation across services

This increases:

• Configuration complexity
• Data gaps
• Inconsistent topology views

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Instana: the closest competitor

IBM Instana comes closest to Dynatrace:

• Single agent per host
• Automatic discovery
• Runtime-level sensors

However:

• Sensors are still technology-specific
• Data unification is not as deep
• OS-to-runtime fusion is less comprehensive

Instana narrows the gap, but does not fully replicate OneAgent’s model.

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OpenTelemetry: powerful, but not an agent

OpenTelemetry is:

• A telemetry standard
• A collection of SDKs and collectors

It does not provide:

• Code-free instrumentation
• Automatic topology
• Unified runtime execution view

OpenTelemetry excels as a vendor-neutral telemetry pipeline, not as a OneAgent-style observability system.

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Why this architectural difference matters

Single-agent, runtime-level instrumentation enables:

• Zero-touch onboarding
• Faster time-to-value
• More accurate root cause analysis
• Lower operational complexity

Multi-agent and SDK-based systems:

• Offer flexibility
• Favor developer control
• Require more effort to maintain consistency

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Final takeaway

Dynatrace OneAgent is not just “another agent” — it is a runtime observability platform embedded into execution itself.

This architectural choice is why:

• It has fewer configuration knobs
• It delivers deeper automation
• It is difficult for competitors to fully replicate

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