distributed-tracing

You can trace requests by instrumenting services with OpenTelemetry and configuring tracing backends like Jaeger or Tempo to collect data across HTTP and gRPC boundaries, enabling latency diagnosis and dependency mapping.

Distributed tracing provides end-to-end visibility across microservices by tracking requests through service boundaries. You need it to diagnose latency, map service dependencies, and trace errors in distributed systems.

Yes, OpenTelemetry works with both Jaeger and Tempo. You instrument services with OpenTelemetry to generate trace data, then configure either Jaeger or Tempo as the backend to collect and store those traces.

Propagating trace context across HTTP and gRPC boundaries requires instrumenting services with OpenTelemetry, which automatically passes trace headers between microservices to maintain end-to-end request visibility.

The best way to map service dependencies is by implementing distributed tracing with OpenTelemetry and a backend like Jaeger or Tempo, which automatically records service interactions and visualizes request flows across your architecture.

Your microservice architecture needs a tracing backend like Jaeger or Tempo because OpenTelemetry only generates trace data; a backend is required to collect, store, and visualize that data to diagnose errors and bottlenecks.