---
name: otel-instrumentation
description: Configures trace spans, defines custom metrics, sets up log exporters, and optimizes sampling strategies for OpenTelemetry instrumentation. Use when…
---

# otel-instrumentation

Configures trace spans, defines custom metrics, sets up log exporters, and optimizes sampling strategies for OpenTelemetry instrumentation. Use when…

# otel-instrumentationby dash0hq
Configures trace spans, defines custom metrics, sets up log exporters, and optimizes sampling strategies for OpenTelemetry instrumentation. Use when…

`npx skills add https://github.com/dash0hq/agent-skills --skill otel-instrumentation`Download ZIPGitHub

## OpenTelemetry Instrumentation Guide

Expert guidance for implementing high-quality, cost-efficient OpenTelemetry telemetry.

## Rules & Quick Reference

Use Case / RuleDescriptiontelemetryEntrypoint — signal types, correlation, and navigationresolve-valuesResolving configuration values from the codebaseresourcesResource attributes — service identity and environmentk8sKubernetes deployment — downward API, pod specspansSpans — naming, kind, status, and hygienelogsLogs — structured logging, severity, trace correlationmetricsMetrics — instrument types, naming, units, cardinalitysensitive-dataSensitive data — PII prevention, sanitization, redactioncapture-database-query-parametersPrepared-statement parameter capture per language (Java, .NET, Python, Node.js, Go)validationTelemetry validation — post-deployment verification checklistnodejsNode.js instrumentation setupgoGo instrumentation setuppythonPython instrumentation setupjavaJava instrumentation setupscalaScala instrumentation setupdotnet.NET instrumentation setuprubyRuby instrumentation setupphpPHP instrumentation setupbrowserBrowser instrumentation setupnextjsNext.js full-stack instrumentation (App Router)

## Official documentation

* OpenTelemetry Documentation

* Semantic Conventions

* Dash0 Integration Hub

## Getting started

Follow these steps when instrumenting an application from scratch:

* Pick your SDK rule — choose the language-specific rule from the table above (e.g., nodejs, python).

* Set up resource attributes — define service identity and environment per resources.

* Add spans, metrics, and logs — instrument your code following spans, metrics, and logs.

* Guard sensitive data — scrub PII before export per sensitive-data.

* Validate — confirm telemetry reaches the backend using the checklist in validation.

The snippet below shows a complete span with attributes and status for Node.js — see nodejs for full setup including SDK initialisation, exporter configuration, and auto-instrumentation:

```
`const { trace, SpanStatusCode } = require('@opentelemetry/api');
const tracer = trace.getTracer('my-service', '1.0.0');

tracer.startActiveSpan('operation-name', async (span) => {
try {
span.setAttribute('user.id', userId);
span.setAttribute('order.id', orderId);

const result = await processOrder(orderId);

span.setAttribute('order.status', result.status);
span.setStatus({ code: SpanStatusCode.OK });
return result;
} catch (err) {
span.setStatus({ code: SpanStatusCode.ERROR, message: err.message });
span.recordException(err);
throw err;
} finally {
span.end();
}
});
`
```

## Key principles

### Signal density over volume

Every telemetry item should serve one of three purposes:

* Detect - Help identify that something is wrong

* Localize - Help pinpoint where the problem is

* Explain - Help understand why it happened

If it doesn't serve one of these purposes, don't emit it.

### Sample in the pipeline, not the SDK

Use the `AlwaysOn` sampler (the default) in every SDK.
Do not configure SDK-side samplers — they make irreversible decisions before the outcome of a request is known.
Defer all sampling to the Collector, where policies can be changed centrally without redeploying applications.

```
`SDK (AlwaysOn) → Collector (sampling) → Backend (retention)
↓ ↓ ↓
All spans Head or tail Storage policies
exported sampling applied
`
```

## More skills from dash0hq
otel-collectorby dash0hqExpert guidance for configuring and deploying the OpenTelemetry Collector. Use when setting up a Collector pipeline, configuring receivers, exporters, or…otel-ottlby dash0hqOpenTelemetry Transformation Language (OTTL) expert. Use when writing or debugging OTTL expressions for any OpenTelemetry Collector component that supports…otel-semantic-conventionsby dash0hqOpenTelemetry Semantic Conventions expert. Use when selecting, applying, or reviewing telemetry attributes. Triggers on tasks involving attribute selection,…

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**Source**: https://github.com/dash0hq/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/otel-instrumentation
**Author**: dash0hq
**Discovered via**: mcpservers.org