The cloud can be a complex ecosystem with thousands of instances running various applications. Visualizing this environment can be challenging, but utilizing process colony graphs, or “ptree graphs”, offers a unique solution. These graphs showcase the relationships, types, and activity of processes within the cloud, allowing for easy identification of anomalies or problem areas. From examining individual processes to entire data centers, these visuals provide valuable insights into the dynamic nature of cloud computing. The process colony graphs are generated using basic process details collected from tools like ps(1) and graphviz, making them a simple yet effective tool for observing cloud environments.
https://www.brendangregg.com/ColonyGraphs/cloud.html