Starting your journey to build your first OTel Collector can be really exciting, but it can also feel a bit overwhelming. OpenTelemetry, or OTel, is an amazing tool that can help standardize the collection of observability data, but it's normal to feel a bit lost at first. There are lots of little details and best practices that can make the whole process easier, but many of us end up learning them the hard way.

OpenTelemetry is a Cloud Native Computing Foundation(CNCF) project aimed at standardizing the way we instrument applications for generating telemetry data(logs, metrics, and traces). However, OpenTelemetry does not provide storage and visualization for the collected telemetry data. APM stands for Application Performance Monitoring or Application Performance Management. APM tools help engineering teams effectively monitor their applications by monitoring key metrics for application performance.

OpenTelemetry is a Cloud Native Computing Foundation(CNCF) project aimed at standardizing the way we instrument applications for generating telemetry data(logs, metrics, and traces). However, OpenTelemetry does not provide storage and visualization for the collected telemetry data. For visualizing OpenTelemetry data, you need an OpenTelemetry UI. The data collected by OpenTelemetry can be sent to a backend of your choice, which can then be visualized.

MongoDB has become a cornerstone in modern database architectures. Its flexibility and scalability make it a go-to choice for many organizations. But with great power comes great responsibility—and the need for robust monitoring. There are many monitoring tools out there, and choosing the right one can be confusing. This article lists the top MongoDB monitoring tools, from open-source ones to fully managed SaaS solutions.

OpenTelemetry is an open-source standard for instrumenting cloud-native applications for generating different types of telemetry data. A robust observability framework set up using OpenTelemetry can help tremendously while troubleshooting software in production. Nginx is one of the most widely adopted web servers. Most often, nginx is used as a reverse proxy. It serves the frontend or backend applications behind the reverse proxy.

When telemetry data (collected from system sources in observability) is analyzed collectively it provides insights into the relationships and dependencies within a distributed system. OpenTelemetry standardizes the collection and transmission of telemetry data to backend platforms, closing visibility gaps by offering a unified instrumentation format across all services.

Health check monitoring is a critical practice for maintaining reliable and high-performing systems. It allows you to proactively identify and address issues before they impact your users. This guide explores the fundamentals of health check monitoring, its importance in modern systems, and practical strategies for implementation. You will also learn how HTTP endpoints can be monitored with OpenTelemetry.

Having the right tools to support debugging is crucial for improving application performance and delivering an enhanced user experience. Traditional observability tools provide insights into application health and with a shift towards actionability, they also directly aid in the debuggability of your system, helping you pinpoint the root cause of issues in real-time.

OpenTelemetry, OTel, is an incredible open-source observability framework that helps you collect, process, and export trace data. It's super valuable for engineers who want to understand their systems better. At the heart of this framework lies the OpenTelemetry Collector, a pivotal component that turns raw traces into useful metrics. Let’s explore the importance of the OpenTelemetry Collector and show you how it makes it easier for engineers to make sense of data.

Ensuring your applications are reliable and performant is more critical now than ever. This need has driven the rise of observability practices, where developers and operations teams closely monitor their applications’ health, performance, and behavior. This is where OpenTelemetry (OTel) comes into play.