In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, complexity is a constant companion. As applications grow and evolve, they become increasingly intricate, making it more challenging to monitor, understand, and optimize their behavior. Developers are increasingly responsible for adding instrumentation into their code so the inner workings of their applications can be observed externally. That data then provides valuable insights to stakeholders across the business.
This is where the concept of observability comes into play. Observability, in the context of software, refers to the ability to understand the internal state of a system by examining its outputs. It's like being able to understand what's happening inside a machine by just looking at the dials and gauges on its control panel.