observabilty

Observability in computing refers to the ability to understand the internal state of a system based on the data it generates. It goes beyond traditional monitoring, which often focuses on predefined metrics and alerts. Observability emphasizes the ability to ask arbitrary questions about the system's behavior and receive answers, even for issues that were not anticipated. This is achieved by collecting and analyzing telemetry data, which typically includes logs, metrics, and traces. Logs provide detailed, time-stamped records of events, metrics offer aggregated numerical data over time, and traces track the flow of requests through a distributed system.

The primary goal of observability is to enable faster troubleshooting, performance optimization, and a deeper understanding of complex, dynamic environments like microservices and cloud-native applications. When a problem arises, observability allows engineers to explore the system's state, identify the root cause, and implement solutions more efficiently. It's particularly valuable in distributed systems where understanding the interactions between various components is crucial. While monitoring tells you if something is wrong, observability helps you understand why it's wrong and how to fix it. The three pillars of observability—logs, metrics, and traces—work together to provide a comprehensive view of system health and performance.