Distributed tracing (Jaeger, Zipkin) in Microservices - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is distributed tracing in microservices?

Distributed tracing is a method to track and observe requests as they flow through multiple microservices, helping to understand system behavior and diagnose issues.

beginner

Name two popular distributed tracing tools.

Jaeger and Zipkin are two widely used open-source distributed tracing tools.

intermediate

What is a 'span' in distributed tracing?

A span represents a single unit of work or operation within a trace, such as a request to a microservice or a database call.

intermediate

How does distributed tracing help in debugging microservices?

It shows the path of a request across services with timing details, helping identify slow or failing components quickly.

beginner

What is the role of a trace ID in distributed tracing?

A trace ID uniquely identifies a single request as it travels through multiple services, linking all spans together.

Which of the following best describes a 'trace' in distributed tracing?

A A log file of errors

B A single operation within a service

C A collection of spans representing a single request journey

D A database query

A trace is made up of multiple spans that together represent the full path of a request.

What is the primary purpose of Jaeger and Zipkin?

A To monitor network traffic

B To deploy microservices

C To store user data

D To trace requests across microservices

Jaeger and Zipkin help track requests as they move through microservices.

Which component in distributed tracing represents a single operation or work unit?

A Span

B Service mesh

C Trace ID

D Log entry

A span is a single operation within a trace.

How does distributed tracing improve system observability?

A By encrypting data

B By showing request flow and timing across services

C By reducing server load

D By caching responses

It provides visibility into how requests move and perform across services.

What unique identifier links all spans of a single request in distributed tracing?

A Trace ID

B User ID

C Session ID

D Service ID

Trace ID connects all spans belonging to the same request.

Explain how distributed tracing works in a microservices environment using Jaeger or Zipkin.

Think about how a request travels and how tracing tools capture each step.

Describe the benefits of using distributed tracing for debugging and monitoring microservices.

Consider how tracing helps find problems quickly.