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    Section 2 of 4 Tracing basics
Section

Tracing basics

4 slides
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1

What is a trace?

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Define distributed tracing and a trace as the whole journey of one request across services.

2

What is a span?

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Spans compose a trace as nested units of work with durations, operation names, and attributes.

3

When to reach for a trace

View slide

Define observability and contrast metrics, logs, traces, and profiles so you know when to reach for a trace.

4

Resources

View slide

Documentation to revisit what a trace is, how spans compose it, and where tracing fits among the signals.

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