Tracing vs. Logging vs. Metrics
Compare and contrast tracing with logging and metrics. Understand when to use each observability signal and how they complement one another.
The Observability Trio
You've learned about logs, metrics, and traces individually. Now, let's compare them to understand their unique roles and how they work together to give you a complete picture of your system.
- Logs: Detailed events.
- Metrics: Aggregated numbers.
- Traces: End-to-end request paths.
Each serves a distinct purpose, but their true power emerges when combined.
Logs: Event-Level Details
Logs are like a system's diary entries. They capture discrete events or messages at specific points in time. When you need to understand what happened at a precise moment, logs are your go-to.
They are excellent for:
- Debugging specific errors.
- Auditing user actions.
- Providing rich context for individual occurrences.
All lessons in this course
- Understanding Trace Spans and IDs
- How Distributed Tracing Works
- Tracing vs. Logging vs. Metrics
- Sampling Strategies for Traces