Understanding CPU Utilization Differences Between Aptible Dashboard and Datadog Metric Drains

When comparing CPU utilization metrics between the Aptible dashboard and Datadog metric drains, you may notice different percentage values. This is due to how each platform calculates and displays CPU usage.

Aptible Dashboard CPU Metrics

The Aptible dashboard shows raw CPU usage percentages, which can exceed 100%. This metric directly represents the actual CPU consumption of your service without normalization.

Datadog CPU Calculation

To calculate normalized CPU usage percentage in Datadog, use either of these formulas:

# Basic normalization
cpu% = enclave.milli_cpu_usage / enclave.milli_cpu_limit * 100

# Alternative normalization
cpu% = enclave.milli_cpu_usage / (enclave.milli_cpu_limit / 1024 / 4 * 1000) * 100

Why the Difference Matters

Both metrics serve different purposes:

• Normalized values (Datadog): Better for setting up alerts and monitoring relative resource usage, as they remain consistent even when scaling services up or down

• Raw values (Aptible Dashboard): Provide exact CPU consumption metrics, useful for understanding actual resource utilization