Distributed tracing, otherwise also known as distributed request tracing is used to profile and monitor applications. Distributed tracing is particularly well-suited in debugging and monitoring modern distributed software architectures, such as microservices.

Distributed tracing is highly suitable for monitoring applications built on a microservices architecture. This allows them to pinpoint bottlenecks, bugs and other issues that impact the application’s performance.

It has the capability of tracing solution to track and observe service requests when they flow through distributed systems by collecting data. Requests often span multiple services. Each service handles a request by performing one or more operations, e.g. database queries, publishes messages, etc.

It allows observing requests as they propagate through distributed cloud environments. Distributed tracing follows an interaction by tagging it with a unique identifier. This identifier stays with the transaction as it interacts with microservices, containers, and infrastructure. The unique identifier offers real-time visibility into user experience, from the top of the stack to the application layer and the infrastructure beneath.

As monolithic legacy applications give way to more nimble and portable services, the tools once used to monitor their performance can no longer serve the complex cloud-native architectures that now host them. This complexity makes distributed tracing critical to attaining observability in these modern environments.In fact, a recent global survey of 700 CIOs found that 86% of companies are now using cloud-native technologies and platforms, such as Kubernetes, microservices and containers, to accelerate innovation and stay competitive. With this shift comes the need for effective observability into these complex and dynamic environments.