The Missing Detail

The trace showed where. But what happened in that moment?
Something must have captured the details.

trace: order #8842 trace_id: a1b2c3d4e5f6

gateway

GET /checkout

210ms

api

process order

183ms

database

INSERT orders

180ms

ERROR

The trace shows an error in the database span at 10:42:17. It took 180ms and failed.
But what actually went wrong? What error message? What data was involved?

Can the trace alone tell you the specific error message?

Something did capture the exact moment of failure. Look at what appeared.

captured at the moment of failure

10:42:17.384

10:42:17.384 ERROR

10:42:17.384 ERROR connection refused: orders-db:5432

10:42:17.384 ERROR connection refused: orders-db:5432 order.id=8842 retry=3 pool=exhausted

Look at what just appeared. What did it capture?

This kind of record — capturing a discrete event with severity and context — is called a...

Metrics measure trends. Traces follow paths. Log records capture the moments that matter.

Each signal answers a different question. Together, they tell the full story.

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