Datadog APM pricing is primarily based on what measurement?

Datadog APM (Application Performance Monitoring) pricing is primarily based on host-based metrics. This means that the pricing structure is influenced by the number of hosts that are being monitored rather than the volume of logs, data retention, or container metrics.

The rationale behind this is that APM is focused on monitoring the performance and health of applications running on specific hosts. Each host can run multiple services or applications, and the APM service collects detailed performance data from these applications. As a result, the pricing model aligns with the fundamental need to monitor the overall performance and behavior of the application infrastructure rather than simply the logs or specific metrics tied to containers.

This approach provides a more scalable and manageable way for organizations to understand their costs associated with APM, as they can predict their expenses based on the number of hosts they wish to monitor, rather than dealing with potentially volatile and unpredictable data volumes or retention needs.