PurePath

PurePath is a term used in Dynatrace’s application performance management (APM) to describe the end-to-end trace data of a single user transaction as it traverses a distributed application. A PurePath captures the sequence of operations executed for a given request, spanning frontend, backend services, databases, caches, and external calls, and provides a high-resolution view of where time is spent.

Within a PurePath, each step or node represents an individual operation such as a service method, database query, or external API call. Each node records metadata including the responsible component, operation name, duration, start and end times, outcome (success or failure), and, when available, error details and stack traces. The data is collected from instrumented components and is designed to assemble a complete picture of a transaction’s journey across the system.

PurePaths are used for performance troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and optimization in complex microservices environments. They support dependency mapping, anomaly detection, and performance baselining, enabling teams to identify latency hotspots, failed calls, and cascading issues.

In practice, Dynatrace provides a user interface for viewing and filtering PurePaths, allowing users to explore specific transactions, compare slow paths, and drill down into individual nodes for detailed diagnostics. While powerful, PurePaths can incur overhead and raise privacy considerations; organizations may implement sampling, retention policies, and access controls to manage data volume and sensitivity. See also distributed tracing and related APM practices.