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new-chaos-studio

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The New Chaos Studio offers an enhanced, streamlined approach to chaos experiment design.

What is a Chaos Experiment?​

A chaos experiment is a testing methodology that validates system resilience by introducing controlled failures and observing system behavior. In the New Chaos Studio, experiments are composed of three core components:

  • Faults: Controlled disruptions injected into your system to simulate real-world failures
  • Probes: Enhanced validation mechanisms that continuously monitor system health and behavior
  • Actions: Automated responses and workflows that execute based on experiment conditions

Advantages Over Old Chaos Studio​

The New Chaos Studio significantly expands experiment capabilities compared to the legacy version:

  • New Studio: Complete experiment lifecycle with faults, standalone probes, and actions
  • Enhanced Validation: Probes can now be defined independently and reused across experiments
  • Actions: New automated response workflows based on experiment conditions

Create a Chaos Experiment​

  1. Navigate to Chaos Experiments and click on New Experiment.

  2. In the next screen, enter the Name, select your Chaos Infrastructure.

Create infra

  1. In the Experiment Builder screen, you can build chaos experiments by adding:

    • Faults to simulate system failures
    • Probes to validate system behavior and health
    • Actions to automate responses based on experiment outcomes

    Experiment Builder

Alternative Method

You can also create experiments by uploading YAML files directly, which is useful for version control and programmatic experiment management.

Add Faults, Probes, and Actions​

Add Action

Add a Fault​

  1. Click on '+' icon, then select Add a Fault to add a fault to the experiment.

  2. Select the fault you want to add to the experiment and click Add to experiment.

    Add Fault

  3. Tune the properties of the fault, and click Apply Changes.

Add an Action​

  1. Click on '+' icon, then select Add an Action to add an action to the experiment.

  2. Select the action you want to add to the experiment and click Add to experiment.

    Add Action

  3. Modify the variables if any, then click Apply Changes in the next screen

Add a Probe​

  1. Click on '+' icon, then select Add a Probe to add a probe to the experiment.

  2. Select the probe you want to add to the experiment and click Add to experiment.

    Add Probe

  3. Tune the properties of the probe, and click Apply Changes.

Parallel Execution

You can add multiple faults, probes, and actions to run in parallel by using Ctrl+Click (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Click (Mac) when clicking the '+' icon. This allows you to execute multiple components simultaneously during your experiment.

Parallel Execution

Run Experiment & Monitor with Timeline View​

  1. Save the experiment and click on Run to execute the experiment.

  2. Once the experiment begins execution, you'll be taken to the Timeline View which provides real-time monitoring of your running experiment.

What is Timeline View?​

The Timeline View displays a visual representation of all events in your chaos experiment as they happen. Each event shows with timestamps, giving you complete visibility into:

  • Chaos injection - When faults start executing

  • Probe validation - Real-time health checks and monitoring

  • Actions execution - Custom scripts and delay actions

  • Rollback/Cleanup - Recovery and cleanup processes

    timeline view 2

In the example above, you can see how faults and probes run both serially and in parallel, with clear timestamps for each event.

Monitor Your Experiment​

As your experiment runs, the timeline continuously updates showing:

  • Step 1: Chaos injection starts → Event logging begins with timestamps
  • Step 2: Probe validation runs → Continuous monitoring updates
  • Step 3: Faults execute → Real-time status and metadata
  • Step 4: Actions trigger → Custom workflows execute
  • Step 5: Rollback/Cleanup → Recovery processes complete

Get Detailed Event Information​

Click on any event in the timeline to view detailed metadata:

  • Experiment events show name, tunables, and execution status

    experiment information view

  • Probe events display details, logs, and validation results

    probe information view

This real-time monitoring helps you:

  • Track progress as your experiment executes
  • Debug issues by identifying exactly when and where failures occur
  • Analyze results with complete execution history and metadata
  • Understand impact of chaos faults and validation probes over time

Edit Experiment​

  1. Go to Chaos Experiments and hover over the (⋮) icon next to the experiment you want to edit, then select Edit Experiment.

    Edit Experiment

Export Experiment​

  1. Go to Chaos Experiments and hover over the (⋮) icon next to the experiment you want to export, then select Download Manifest.

    Export Experiment

Runtime Variable Support​

Runtime variables provide flexibility in chaos experiments by allowing you to customize experiment parameters at execution time rather than hardcoding them during creation.

You can execute chaos experiments using either static values or dynamic runtime values:

  • Static variables: Define them directly in the experiment and use them without any modification.
  • Runtime variables: Specify them using <+input>, allowing customization at runtime or through saved input sets.

Use Runtime Variables​

When setting up an experiment, in the Target Application and Tune Fault modals, you can choose between Fixed value and Runtime Input. Once you choose the input type, Save the changes.

runtime variables

runtime variables

Runtime Variable Tips
  • If you don't provide values for certain fields (which are not mandatory), the experiment executes with default values.
  • Variables specified as runtime inputs appear as editable fields in the UI, whereas static fields appear as display-only.

Experiment Variables​

Experiment variables let you define reusable, parameterized values at the experiment level, similar to pipeline variables. These variables can be referenced across faults, probes, and actions within the experiment, providing a centralized way to manage shared configuration.

Add an Experiment Variable​

  1. In the Experiment Builder, click the Variables icon in the right sidebar.

    Variables icon

  2. In the Variables panel, click + Add Variable.

  3. In the New Variable dialog, configure the following:

    FieldDescription
    TypeData type of the variable. Supported types: String, Number
    NameIdentifier used to reference the variable in the experiment
    ValueThe value assigned to the variable. Use a fixed value or <+input> for runtime input
    Set variable as required during runtimeWhen checked, the variable must be provided at experiment run time
    DescriptionOptional description for the variable

    New Variable dialog

  4. Click Save, then click Apply Changes in the Variables panel.

Provide Variable Values at Runtime​

When you run an experiment that has variables configured with runtime input (<+input>), the Run Experiment dialog prompts you to provide values for those variables before execution.

You can also:

  • Toggle between Visual and YAML views to configure variables

  • Use an existing input set by enabling Use an Existing Input Set

  • Save the current variable values as a new input set by clicking Save As New Input Set