This is a follow-up to our previously published post announcing Traceroute InSession, where we provided extensive technical details about how it works. In this series, we explore the challenges InSession addresses within modern networks and compare it to other traceroute variants. At Catchpoint, we pride ourselves on being traceroute experts. Why? We’ve run over 15 billion traceroutes over the last 15 years and more than 3 billion in 2023 alone!

Continuing our series on tracing with OpenTelemetry in AWS Kinesis, we now explore a refined approach to overcome the challenges faced in our initial attempt with the PartitionKey parameter.

In the first article of our series, we explored the importance of trace headers and the complexities involved in their propagation. Now, we shift from theory to practice. This second installment will take you through a hands-on baseline scenario and our initial strategy of propagating the OpenTelemetry trace context in AWS Kinesis by using the PartitionKey parameter.

Welcome to our series on navigating the complexities of trace header propagation with OpenTelemetry in AWS Kinesis. In this 3-part exploration, we'll dive into the critical role of trace headers in distributed systems, discuss the unique challenges presented by AWS Kinesis, and explore innovative solutions that keep your data tracking robust and consistent.

When John Wanamaker famously declared, “When a customer enters my store, forget me. He is king,” he unknowingly coined a mantra that remains as relevant today as it was in the 1900s. This philosophy, rooted in the customer service ideologies of his time, holds true not just for brick-and-mortar stores but also for eCommerce.