Cloud Native Observability 9781098158941, 9781098158927

Table of contents :
1. The Cloud Native Impact on Observability
Challenges of Cloud Native Observability
Deep Dive into Observability Data
Observability Data Is Growing in Scale
Understanding Cardinality and Dimensionality
Cloud Native Systems Are Flexible and Ephemeral
The Goldilocks Zone of Cloud Native Observability
Cloud Native Environments Emit Exponentially More Data Than Traditional Environments
Delivering Reduced Business Outcomes
Observability Practitioners Lose Focus
Increasing Cost of Observability Data
The Cloud Native Impact
Slower Troubleshooting
Tools Become Unreliable
Use Context to Troubleshoot Faster
The Three Phases of Observability: An Outcome-Focused Approach
Remediating at Any Phase, with Any Signal
Conclusion
2. Cloud Native Challenges in the Real World
Impact of Uncontrolled Data Growth on System Performance
Controlling Cost
Case Study 1: Improving Performance While Gaining Huge Cost Savings
The Challenge
Approach
Impact of Uncontrolled Data Growth on Observability Reliability
Poor Developer Experience Caused by Poor Observability Data
Case Study 2: Increased Observability Reliability and Improved Developer Experience
The Challenge
Approach
Making Way for Fast-Paced Innovation
Regulatory Requirements
Case Study 3: Navigating Observability Challenges in Balancing Rapid Fintech Growth and SLA Compliance
The Challenge
Approach
Conclusion
3. Strategies for Controlling Observability Data Growth and Complexity
Emerging Solution Using a Repeatable Framework
Using FinOps as an Inspiration
Observability Data Optimization Cycle
Step 0: Centralized Governance
Autonomy and Allocations to Increase Responsibility and Improve Responsiveness
Usable Capacity by Allocation to Optimize Use Cases
Using Observability Team as Consultants Instead of as Bottlenecks
Framework Components
Step 1: Analyze
Traffic Analysis
Usage Analysis
Combining Traffic and Usage Analysis to Make Decisions
Output of Analyze Step
Step 2: Refine
Dropping
Retention
Resolution
Downsampling
Aggregation
Output of Refine Step
Step 3: Operate
Expanding Visibility and Coverage
Freeing Up More of the Observability Team’s Time to Tackle Strategic Projects
Conclusion
4. Open Source Telemetry Standards: Prometheus, OpenTelemetry, and Beyond
Instrumentation Before Prometheus and OTel
Data Collection Is Controlled by Users
Prometheus
Interoperability Between Different Observability Tools
Standardization to Prometheus
Prometheus Reliability
Prometheus: The Good
Prometheus: The Not-So-Good
OpenTelemetry
What Is OTel?
The OTel Specification
OTel SDK
OpenTelemetry Collector
OTel: The Promise
OTel: The Reality
Limitations of maturity
Backend support
Where to Start with OTel
Implications of OTel’s Approach
Fluent Bit
Conclusion