Faster Engineer Onboarding
with Runtime Context
Lightrun gives new hires live visibility into how systems actually run, so they can understand architecture, dependencies, and failure modes from day one.
I’m investigating. I’ll start with runbooks and then correlate telemetry with the deployment and downstream behavior.
From the deployment window:rnrnu003cimg class=u0022alignnone size-full wp-image-8327u0022 src=u0022https://lightrun.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image-183.jpgu0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022266u0022 height=u0022184u0022 /u003ernrnu0026nbsp;rnrn502 rate jumped from ~0.2% to ~6.9%rnaffected routes: /checkout, /users/{id}rnrnTwo hypotheses:rnu003cul role=u0022listu0022u003ern tu003cliu003eupstream timeouts caused by a latency regressionu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003egateway config regression affecting request forwardingu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernI’m missing request-level state at the failure point. Capturing runtime evidence for failing requests only.rntarget: service:api-gateway env:prod actions: -type:snapshot where: file:GatewayHandler.go line:208 conditions: -u0022statusCode == 502u0022 captures: -u0022routeu0022 -u0022upstreamHostu0022 -u0022timeoutMsu0022 -u0022headers[‘authorization’]u0022 -u0022erroru0022
Runtime snapshots show:rnu003cul role=u0022listu0022u003ern tu003cliu003eupstream timeouts set to 1000ms (previously 3000ms)u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eauthorization header missing on affected routesu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eupstream returns 401, mapped to 502 at the gatewayu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernConfig diff from the deployment confirms it.rnrnu003cimg class=u0022alignnone size-medium wp-image-8328u0022 src=u0022https://lightrun.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image-184-235×300.jpgu0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022235u0022 height=u0022300u0022 /u003ernrnRuntime snapshots show:rnu003cul role=u0022listu0022u003ern tu003cliu003eupstream timeouts set to 1000ms (previously 3000ms)u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eauthorization header missing on affected routesu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eupstream returns 401, mapped to 502 at the gatewayu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003e
Config diff from the deployment confirms it.rnrnu003cimg class=u0022alignnone size-medium wp-image-8329u0022 src=u0022https://lightrun.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image-183-1-300×84.jpgu0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022300u0022 height=u002284u0022 /u003ernrnRoot cause identified: gateway config regression.rnRecommended fix:rnu003cul role=u0022listu0022u003ern tu003cliu003erestore authorization header forwardingu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003erevert timeout to 3000msu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernExpected outcome: 502s drop below baseline within minutes.
How Lightrun accelerates onboarding
Without runtime visibility, onboarding relies on tribal knowledge, outdated diagrams, and risky trial and error.
Explains legacy systems, instantly
AI agents use Lightrun to inspect live variables and execution paths, explaining exactly how and why complex logic works without forcing new hires to trace static code.
Maps live integrations
Lightrun shows the runtime architecture to your AI agent, so new engineers can see exactly which services, APIs, and databases are actively communicating.
Guides exploration, safely
Our read-only sandbox allows new engineers to “ask” the live system questions via their AI assistant, gaining confidence and context without risk.
Codifies tribal knowledge
AI agents share past actions that serve as permanent runtime documentation,” ensuring knowledge is shared immediately
What makes Lightrun different
Understand
logic instantly
AI agents use context to explain how code executes in the real system, providing instant, accurate answers for new hires
Train on reality,
not simulations
Lightrun gives new engineers access to live production context, ensuring they learn how the system actually behaves from Day 1.
Explore without
breaking prod
Lightrun Sandbox lets new engineers inspect live production systems, and query the state of apps with zero rebuilds or side effects.
Engineered for production scale
Built to validate code safely in live production systems, with isolation, governance, and full control.
Full audit trail
Every injection, snapshot, and AI action is logged for accountability.
Lightrun Sandbox
On-demand, read-only execution with snapshot isolation, without impact on production systems.
No vendor lock-in
Works across all the platforms, tools, and environments in your team’s stack.
Run anywhere
Run across Kubernetes, serverless, on-prem, and bare metal, from canary to production.
Adaptive prompt library
Prompts that are grounded in live runtime context, adapting to situations, not static workflows.
Works where you do
Accessible within each platforms your team already uses.
Strict governance
Control access with SSO, SAML, and RBAC to govern runtime evidence creation across environments.
