Inspect distributed tracing by using Application Insights

Inspecting distributed tracing is an essential aspect of monitoring applications in the DevOps lifecycle. With Application Insights, Microsoft’s comprehensive monitoring and analytics service, you can gain valuable insights into the performance and behavior of your distributed systems. In this article, we will explore how to inspect distributed tracing using Application Insights, focusing on key concepts and techniques.

1. Instrumentation

To start inspecting distributed tracing, you need to instrument your application with the Application Insights SDK. Depending on your application’s platform, you can use the appropriate SDK for .NET, Java, Node.js, or other supported languages. The SDK enables your application to send telemetry data to Application Insights, including traces, requests, exceptions, and dependencies.

2. Enable distributed tracing

Once your application is instrumented, you need to enable distributed tracing explicitly. In Application Insights, distributed tracing is disabled by default to minimize the impact on performance. You can enable distributed tracing through configuration settings or programmatically using the SDK.

In .NET applications, you can enable distributed tracing by setting the EnableDistributedTracing property to true in the Application Insights configuration file or code snippet:


Your_Instrumentation_Key

false

true


3. Trace correlation

To inspect distributed tracing, it’s crucial to correlate related telemetry data across different components and services. Application Insights achieves this correlation by assigning a unique trace identifier (operation Id) to each request. As requests flow through your distributed system, each component attaches this operation Id to its telemetry data.

For example, when a user’s request is received by a web server, the server generates an operation Id and includes it in the telemetry data. If the request triggers additional calls to downstream services, each service adds the same operation Id to its telemetry. This correlation allows you to reconstruct the entire request flow and understand dependencies across the distributed system.

4. Trace visualization

Application Insights provides a rich set of tools for visualizing distributed tracing data. The Application Map feature allows you to view a dynamic, real-time representation of your application’s components and their dependencies. The map displays various nodes representing your application’s services, databases, and external dependencies, with connections indicating the request flow between them.

By inspecting the Application Map, you can identify bottlenecks, latency issues, and problematic dependencies. You can also drill down into specific nodes to view detailed telemetry data for individual components, including response times, dependency durations, and error rates.

5. Trace analysis

In addition to visualizing distributed tracing data, Application Insights offers powerful analysis capabilities. You can leverage the Metrics Explorer to track key performance indicators and set up alerts based on specific criteria. This enables proactive monitoring and alerting when anomalies or performance degradations occur in your distributed system.

Moreover, the Logs feature allows you to query and analyze telemetry data using the powerful Azure Monitor Query Language (KQL). You can write queries to filter, aggregate, and correlate data based on various dimensions, such as operation Id, component, or duration. This allows you to perform in-depth analysis, troubleshoot issues, and gain insights into the behavior of your distributed system.

In conclusion, inspecting distributed tracing using Application Insights is a crucial aspect of monitoring and troubleshooting distributed systems. By instrumenting your application, enabling distributed tracing, and leveraging the rich visualization and analysis capabilities of Application Insights, you can gain valuable insights into the behavior and performance of your distributed applications. Start inspecting distributed tracing today and ensure optimal performance and reliability of your DevOps solutions.