Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1

What is the best OpenTelemetry backend?

Accepted Answer

OpenObserve is a fully OpenTelemetry-native backend, accepting OTLP over HTTP or gRPC from any SDK or collector with no proprietary agent required. It stores traces in Apache Parquet, cutting storage costs by up to 140x versus Elasticsearch while keeping every span queryable with SQL - efficient enough that full-fidelity retention replaces sampling, so the trace you need during an incident is actually there. Spans arrive with W3C trace context intact, powering real-time service dependency maps, latency heatmaps, flame graphs, and waterfall views out of the box. And because traces share one engine with logs and metrics, a slow span links directly to the log lines it emitted and the metrics it moved, turning trace analysis into full-stack root cause analysis rather than an isolated view.

Question 2

How do I get distributed tracing without vendor lock-in?

Accepted Answer

Instrument your services with the standard OpenTelemetry SDK and point the exporter at OpenObserve. Because OTLP is a vendor-neutral protocol, your instrumentation code never changes if you switch backends later - the exporter endpoint is the only thing that moves. Zero-code auto-instrumentation via the OpenObserve collector covers common frameworks without touching application code, and W3C trace-context propagation keeps traces intact across service boundaries regardless of language. Since OpenObserve itself is open source (AGPL-3.0), the backend is as portable as the instrumentation: self-host it, run it in your own cloud, or use the managed service - with your data in open Parquet format on object storage you control rather than a proprietary store.

Question 3

How do I correlate frontend errors with backend traces?

Accepted Answer

OpenObserve’s RUM SDK and backend tracing share the same trace context, so a frontend error automatically links to the backend trace and span that caused it. From a session replay, one click takes you into the exact backend request that failed.

Question 4

How does OpenObserve collect traces?

Accepted Answer

OpenObserve collects distributed traces through OpenTelemetry instrumentation. The platform accepts traces via the OTLP protocol, supporting both manual and automatic instrumentation methods. For services already instrumented with OpenTelemetry, you can configure the exporter to send traces directly to OpenObserve. The system maintains trace context across service boundaries using W3C trace context standards.

Question 5

What retention and storage options are available?

Accepted Answer

OpenObserve optimizes trace storage using columnar format and efficient compression. Retention periods are configurable per data source, allowing you to balance storage costs with analysis needs. The system supports tiered storage for different trace retention requirements. Historical traces can be accessed efficiently through the query interface while maintaining quick access to recent data.

Question 6

How does service dependency analysis work?

Accepted Answer

The platform automatically generates service dependency information from trace data. Service maps show both direct and indirect dependencies between components. The system calculates key metrics like request rates, error rates, and latency percentiles for each service interaction. You can analyze dependency changes over time and identify critical paths in your architecture.

Distributed Traces, End to End. Every Span Retained.

Correlated Telemetry

70% Less Storage Than Elasticsearch

OTel-Native Traces

Follow a Request Wherever It Goes

Trace Collection

OpenTelemetry Integration

Auto-Instrumentation

Service Analysis

Dependency Mapping

Performance Insights

Trace Analysis

Detailed Spans

Context Propagation

Optimized Storage

Efficient Storage

Flexible Retention

Measured against industry leaders

Teams trust OpenObserve with their traces

Traces FAQs

What is the best OpenTelemetry backend?

How do I get distributed tracing without vendor lock-in?

How do I correlate frontend errors with backend traces?

How does OpenObserve collect traces?

What retention and storage options are available?

How does service dependency analysis work?

Explore guides, videos, and articles

Traces in OpenObserve

What is Distributed Tracing?

Auto Instrumentation & OpenTelemetry

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