OpenTelemetry
February 22, 2026
What it is
OpenTelemetry (OTel) is a standard for instrumentation: traces, metrics, and logs. SDKs and auto-instrumentation; export to Jaeger, Prometheus, and many backends.
Usage
Instrument apps once; export to your chosen backend; avoid vendor lock-in; use auto-instrumentation where available.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Vendor-neutral standard | Ecosystem still evolving |
| Traces + metrics + logs | Configuration can be detailed |
| Broad language and backend support | |
| CNCF project |
Alternatives
Vendor SDKs (Datadog, New Relic). Why OpenTelemetry: Future-proof instrumentation and multiple backends.
Links
- Homepage: https://opentelemetry.io/
- Documentation: https://opentelemetry.io/docs/
- Source: https://github.com/open-telemetry