Observability
Learn the concept of observability in software applications and discuss the three pillars of observability.
It’s prudent to start with a clear definition of observability. It means to be able to notice or discern something. Applied to our focus on software applications, we can be more specific about what we discern and how we do so: to be able to measure the internal state of a system by its outputs.
In software systems, this is achieved through the enablement of what is commonly referred to as the three pillars of observability:
Metrics: A series of measurements over time
Logs: A record of messages describing noticeable events within a system
Traces: A set of indicators throughout logs that connect a series of related events
At this point, it’s worth addressing the critical commentary we’ll find on the three pillars of observability in more recent online publications. There are indeed ...