title: SpringBoot - observability on *_max *_count *_sum metrics
body: <p>Small question regarding Spring Boot, some of the useful default metrics, and how to properly use them in Grafana please.</p>
  <p>Currently with a Spring Boot 2.5.1+ (question applicable to 2.x.x.) with Actuator + Micrometer + Prometheus dependencies, there are lots of very handy default metrics that come out of the box.</p>
  <p>I am seeing many many of them with pattern <code>_max _count _sum</code>.</p>
  <p>Example, just to take a few:</p>
  <pre><code>spring_data_repository_invocations_seconds_max
  spring_data_repository_invocations_seconds_count
  spring_data_repository_invocations_seconds_sum
  
  reactor_netty_http_client_data_received_bytes_max
  reactor_netty_http_client_data_received_bytes_count
  reactor_netty_http_client_data_received_bytes_sum
  
  http_server_requests_seconds_max
  http_server_requests_seconds_count
  http_server_requests_seconds_sum
  </code></pre>
  <p>Unfortunately, I am not sure what to do with them, how to correctly use them, and feel like my ignorance makes me miss on some great application insights.</p>
  <p>Searching on the web, I am seeing some using like this, to compute what seems to be an average with Grafana:</p>
  <pre><code>irate(http_server_requests_seconds::sum{exception=&quot;None&quot;, uri!~&quot;.*actuator.*&quot;}[5m]) / irate(http_server_requests_seconds::count{exception=&quot;None&quot;, uri!~&quot;.*actuator.*&quot;}[5m])
  </code></pre>
  <p>But Not sure if it is the correct way to use those.</p>
  <p>May I ask what sort of queries are possible, usually used when dealing with metrics of type <code>_max _count _sum</code> please?</p>
  <p>Thank you</p>