debug-missing-spans

Missing OpenTelemetry spans usually result from misconfigurations in SDK initialization, sampling, exporter setup, or network connectivity. You diagnose the issue by systematically checking each component from code to backend ingestion.

To troubleshoot missing distributed tracing data, walk through the entire span chain from code to backend ingestion. Run concrete tests to verify SDK initialization, sampling configuration, exporter status, and network connectivity.

The best way to debug OpenTelemetry exporter configuration is to verify the exporter status and network connectivity. This isolates whether data loss occurs during transmission or at the backend ingestion stage.

Sampling configuration affects OpenTelemetry traces by determining which spans are exported to the backend. Incorrect sampling settings can drop spans before they reach the exporter, causing expected traces to disappear.

You can diagnose OpenTelemetry SDK initialization errors locally by verifying the runtime setup. Checking SDK initialization isolates code-level configuration issues from downstream network or backend ingestion problems.