What is Unique Token in Process?

A Unique Token is a distinct string used to identify the target application process for which diagnostics need to be captured. The yc-360 script supports process identification for both Java and .NET applications.

Why Use a Unique Token Instead of a Process ID?

In many environments-especially in containers and orchestration platforms like Kubernetes-process IDs (PIDs) are ephemeral and can change frequently due to restarts or scaling events.

Using a Unique Token offers a more stable and consistent way to locate the target process based on a known identifier (e.g., jar name, class name, startup argument, or executable name), rather than relying on dynamic PIDs.

This simplifies automation, avoids manual lookups, and ensures the yc-360 script always targets the correct process, even across deployments.

Java Applications

How the yc-360 Script Locates Your Java Process

When you pass a token using the -p argument, the yc-360 script:

• Runs ps -ef | grep <TOKEN> inside the host or container.
• Filters the result to extract the process ID of the matching process.
• Uses the PID of matching processes to capture diagnostics such as:
  • Thread dumps
  • Heap dumps
  • GC logs
  • System metrics like top, netstat, iostat, etc.
• Depending on the execution mode, either stores artifacts locally or transmits them to the yCrash server.

Example

Suppose your application is launched with the following command:

java -XX:+PrintGCDetails -XX:+PrintGCDateStamps -Xloggc:/tmp/my-gc.log -jar buggyApp.jar buggyapp

In this case, buggyapp is a unique argument in the command line. You can pass buggyapp as the token to identify the process:

./yc -p "buggyapp"

Important Note:

• Ensure that the token is unique enough to identify only the intended process.

• For Docker or Kubernetes, make sure the token appears in the process list within the container (you can check this using docker exec or kubectl exec with ps -ef).

What if the Token Matches Multiple Java Processes?

If the token you provide is not specific enough, the yc-360 script will match more than one process. In this case, diagnostics will be captured from all processes that contain the token in their command line.

Example: Generic Token (java)

Suppose you run the following processes on the same machine:

$ ps -ef | grep java
1001  2345  ... java -jar payment-service.jar
1002  2378  ... java -jar order-service.jar
1003  2399  ... java -jar buggyApp.jar buggyapp

./yc -p "java"

The script will capture thread dumps, heap dumps, GC logs, and system metrics for all three processes (payment-service, order-service, and buggyApp).

Best Practice:

Always use a token that uniquely identifies the intended process. This ensures the yc-360 script only targets the right process and avoids collecting artifacts from unrelated applications.

.NET Applications

How the yc-360 Script Locates Your .NET Process

When you pass a token using the -p argument, the yc-360 script:

• Runs tasklist | findstr <TOKEN> on the Windows host.
• Filters the result to extract the process ID of the matching application.
• Uses the PID of matching processes to capture diagnostics such as:
  • Thread dumps
  • Heap dumps
  • GC logs
  • System metrics
• Depending on the execution mode, either stores artifacts locally or transmits them to the yCrash server.

Example

Suppose your application is launched and visible in the process list as:

tasklist | findstr PaymentService

PaymentService.exe    19468 Console    1    3,04,268 K

In this case, PaymentService is a unique string present in the executable name. You can pass PaymentService as the token to identify the process:

./yc -p "PaymentService"

Important Note:

• Ensure that the token is unique enough to identify only the intended process.

• Run tasklist | findstr <TOKEN> manually first to verify that only the intended application appears in the output before passing it to the yc-360 script.

What if the Token Matches Multiple .NET Processes?

If the token you provide is not specific enough, the yc-360 script will match more than one process. In this case, diagnostics will be captured from all processes that contain the token in their name.

Example: Generic Token (PaymentService)

Suppose the following processes are running on the same machine:

tasklist | findstr /I PaymentService

PaymentService.exe        19468 Console    1  304,268 K
PaymentServiceWorker.exe  20532 Console    1   98,120 K
PaymentServiceHelper.exe  22110 Console    1   45,332 K

./yc -p "PaymentService"

The script will capture diagnostics for all four matching processes (taskhostw, PaymentService, and tasklist).

Best Practice:

Always use a token that uniquely identifies the intended process. This ensures the yc-360 script only targets the right process and avoids collecting artifacts from unrelated applications.