RUM and application performance monitoring (APM) are different but related methods of IT monitoring that share a goal: improved application performance. APM is an umbrella term that includes RUM as one of its strategies. RUM supports APM by analyzing how end-user experience informs application optimization strategies.
RUM doesn’t purely serve as part of an APM strategy. Because RUM tracks user activity with the frontend, RUM data can answer user experience questions pertaining to customer satisfaction to help developers optimize application features.