Observability vs Monitoring
Know it in seconds
What is Observability ?
Observability is the ability to measure a system’s current state based on the data it generates, including logs, metrics, and traces.
Logs: Monitoring generates logs that observability uses for deeper system analysis.
Metrics: Metrics refer to measurements of application and infrastructure behavior, captured as quantitative time-series data.
Traces: Traces represent the full path of a single operation across its various interrelated systems.
Events: Events are discrete actions that occur in a system at any point in time.
Profiling: Profiling provides deep insights into an application's resource consumption, particularly around CPU and memory usage.
What is Monitoring ?
- Monitoring is the process of collecting data and generating reports on different metrics that define system health.
Is there a difference between observability and monitoring? Absolutely! Monitoring answers the ‘When’ and ‘What’ of a system error, while observability addresses the ‘Why’ and ‘How’. They complement each other effectively.
When talking about Observability, Context is crucial as it enhances our understanding of the system. Metrics correlated with business KPIs help quantify software impact and prioritize decisions in the tech industry. Furthermore, observability data benefits not only IT but also the business as a whole.
Sources/Resources:
https://www.dynatrace.com/news/blog/what-is-observability-2/
https://aws.amazon.com/compare/the-difference-between-monitoring-and-observability/
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