Installation

What is the general installation process for Scout?

Scout installation follows three basic steps across all languages:

1. Install the agent package - Add the Scout package to your application’s dependencies
2. Configure the agent - Set your Scout key, app name, and enable monitoring
3. Deploy - Ship your changes to production

Configuration can be done via code/config files or environment variables. Environment variables take priority when both are set.

How do I get my Scout key?

Your Scout key is available in the Scout UI. Navigate to your app settings or the new application setup page to find your unique key.

What configuration values are required?

At minimum, you need: - SCOUT_KEY: Your unique application key (found in the Scout UI) - SCOUT_NAME: A friendly name for your application - SCOUT_MONITOR: Set to true to enable monitoring

How do I configure Scout using environment variables?

Set these environment variables in your deployment environment:

SCOUT_KEY=your_key_here
SCOUT_NAME=My Application
SCOUT_MONITOR=true

Environment variables take priority over configuration file values.

What about Heroku deployments?

If you install Scout via the Heroku Addon, SCOUT_MONITOR and SCOUT_KEY are automatically set as config vars during provisioning. You only need to set SCOUT_NAME additionally.

How do I verify Scout is working?

After deployment, wait approximately five minutes for initial data to appear in the Scout UI. You should see: - Your application listed in the Scout dashboard - Metrics appearing on the Overview page - Transaction traces being collected

Can I monitor multiple environments separately?

Yes. Use different SCOUT_NAME values for each environment (e.g., “My App (production)”, “My App (staging)”). This keeps data from different environments separate in the Scout UI.