Most will know what each of these items is, hereafter referred to as tenets, so let’s focus on what they mean for observability and what you should be thinking to reach a higher state of observability.
Here are some key tenets of observability:
Logs: Logs are records of events that have happened in a system. Logs can be used to debug issues, trace user activity, and provide a history of system behavior.
Metrics: Metrics are numerical measurements that help you understand how a system is performing. Metrics can be used to track things like CPU usage, memory usage, network traffic, and many other system-level metrics.
Traces: Traces are records of how a request or transaction flows through a system. Traces can be used to understand the performance of a system and identify bottlenecks.
Distributed Tracing: Distributed tracing is the practice of tracking a request or transaction as it moves through a distributed system. This is particularly important in microservices architectures where requests can be routed through multiple services.
Correlation: Correlation is the practice of linking together different pieces of data so that you can understand how they are related. Correlation can be used to link together metrics, logs, and traces to create a complete picture of system behavior.
Visualization: Visualization is the practice of presenting data in a way that is easy to understand. Visualization can be used to create dashboards that show system performance in real-time.
Analytics: Analytics in observability involves collecting, processing, and analyzing data from multiple sources to gain a holistic understanding of system behavior.
Alerting: Alerting is the practice of sending notifications when certain conditions are met. For example, you might set up an alert to notify you when CPU usage exceeds a certain threshold.
Automation: Automation is the practice of using software to automate repetitive tasks. Automation can be used to set up alerts, collect metrics, and perform other tasks related to observability.
By embracing these tenets of observability, you can gain a deeper understanding of how your systems are behaving and quickly identify and resolve issues as they arise.