what is Observability?

Observability refers to the ability to understand the internal state of a system based on its external outputs, such as logs, metrics, and traces. It's a concept often used in the context of software systems, especially in modern cloud-native environments. There are three main pillars of observability: Logs: These are detailed records of events or transactions within a system, providing insights into its behavior over time. Logs are typically used for troubleshooting and identifying errors. Metrics: Quantitative data that provide insights into the performance and health of a system. Metrics can include things like response times, error rates, resource utilization (e.g., CPU, memory), and throughput. Traces: Traces capture the journey of a request or transaction as it travels through various components of a distributed system. Tracing helps in understanding how requests are handled across services and identifying bottlenecks or failures.