Megfigyelképesség

Megfigyelképesség is a Hungarian term that translates to "observability" in English. It refers to the degree to which a system's internal state can be inferred from knowledge of its external outputs. In the context of software and systems engineering, observability is crucial for understanding how a system is behaving, diagnosing problems, and ensuring its overall health and performance.

High observability means that when something goes wrong, it is relatively easy to determine the root cause. This is achieved by instrumenting systems to emit a variety of signals, such as logs, metrics, and traces. Logs provide detailed records of events occurring within the system. Metrics are quantitative measurements of system performance over time, like CPU usage or request latency. Traces track the path of a request as it travels through various components of a distributed system, offering insights into inter-service communication and potential bottlenecks.

The goal of observability is not just to collect data, but to make that data actionable. This allows engineers to respond quickly to incidents, optimize system performance, and make informed decisions about future development. It's a key component of modern operational practices, particularly in complex, distributed environments like microservices architectures and cloud-native applications, where traditional monitoring methods may fall short. A system that is easy to observe is generally easier to manage and maintain.