Observability Glossary

Logging

Logging is the first thing we learn when learn how to write code.

console.log("Hello, World!")

It enable us to track the behavior of our applications and identify issues. It involves capturing and storing information about events that occur during the execution of our programs.

For example, in a Node.js application, logging can be implemented using a popular library like Winston. You can use Winston to log various types of messages, such as errors, warnings, or information about specific events in the application. These logs can then be stored in files or sent to a centralized log management system for further analysis.

Logging alone starts to show its limitation in a distributed systems, where distributed tracing becomes more crucial for understanding the interactions between different services. Solutions like OpenTelemetry can be used to instrument applications and capture distributed traces and logs, providing a comprehensive view of the entire system's behavior.

Explore related concepts

Log Management

Log Management is the process of collecting, storing, and analyzing log data generated by applications, servers, and other systems. It involves organizing and indexing logs to make them easily searchable and filterable, enabling developers to troubleshoot issues and gain insights into the behavior of their application.

Structured Logging

A method of logging that organizes log messages into a format that is easily searchable, filterable, and queriable. This enables you to extract valuable insights and troubleshoot issues faster.

Observability

Observability is the ability to understand how your application is working and behaving in production through telemetry data (logs, metrics, traces, wide events, etc.). It enables you detect, diagnose and resolve issues in your app before they impact your users and become problems.