The OpenTelemetry Collector is a vendor-agnostic service that collects, processes, and exports telemetry data such as traces, metrics, and logs. It is a crucial component in observability pipelines, enabling developers to gain insights into their applications' performance and behavior.
One common issue developers encounter is incorrect span timing in their trace data. This symptom manifests as spans appearing out of order or with incorrect durations, leading to misleading performance metrics and analysis.
The root cause of incorrect span timing often lies in misconfigured instrumentation. This can occur when the instrumentation libraries are not properly synchronized with the application’s execution or when there are discrepancies in time settings across different components.
Misconfigurations can include incorrect time zone settings, unsynchronized clocks between services, or improper use of instrumentation APIs. These issues can lead to spans being reported with start and end times that do not accurately reflect the actual execution timeline.
To resolve this issue, follow these actionable steps:
By following these steps, you can resolve issues related to incorrect span timing in OpenTelemetry. Proper configuration and synchronization are key to ensuring accurate and reliable tracing data. For more detailed guidance, refer to the OpenTelemetry Documentation.
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