Observability Engineering

Chapter 2. How Debugging Practices Differ Between Observability and Monitoring

In the previous chapter, we covered the origins and common use of the metrics data type for debugging. In this chapter, we’ll more closely examine the specific debugging practices associated with traditional monitoring tools and how those differ from the debugging practices associated with observability tools.

Traditional monitoring tools work by checking system conditions against known thresholds that indicate whether previously known error conditions are present. That is a fundamentally reactive approach because it works well only for identifying previously encountered failure modes.

In contrast, observability tools work by enabling iterative exploratory investigations to systematically determine where and why performance issues may be occurring. Observability enables a proactive approach to identifying any failure mode, whether previously known or unknown.

In this chapter, we focus on understanding the limitations of monitoring-based troubleshooting methods. First, we unpack how monitoring tools are used within the context of troubleshooting software performance issues in production. Then we examine the behaviors institutionalized by those monitoring-based approaches. Finally, we show how observability practices enable teams to identify both previously known and unknown issues.

How Monitoring Data Is Used for Debugging

The Oxford English Dictionary defines monitoring as observing and checking the ...