gw auth api ord inv db
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The Missing Detail

The trace showed where. But what happened in that moment?
Something must have captured the details.
trace: order #8842 start: 10:42:17.204 trace_id: a1b2c3d4e5f6
gateway
GET /checkout
210ms
OK
api
process order
183ms
OK
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?

From this trace, can you determine the specific error that caused the failure?

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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