The Open Source Monitoring Conference · 📆 Nov. 17–19, 2026 · 📍Nuremberg · ⭐️20th Anniversary Edition

Observability for Distributed Systems

Gaining a Better Understanding of Systems

End-to-End Observability for Kubernetes and Microservices: We instrument your applications with OpenTelemetry, collect metrics, logs, and traces, and consolidate all data in Grafana. Here’s how to track a slow request across all services.
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Metrics, logs & traces combined

All three types of signals converge at a single location. Separate tools that lack a big-picture view are now a thing of the past.

Causes Instead of Symptoms

With distributed tracing, you can track a slow request across all services. Here’s how to pinpoint the bottleneck.

Vendor-neutral

OpenTelemetry is an open standard for instrumentation. This way, you aren’t tied to any proprietary APM provider.

Built for Cloud-Native

You have a natural understanding of Kubernetes and microservices. That is exactly where traditional “up” or “down” monitoring reaches its limits.

Open-Source Tools

With Prometheus and Grafana, you can avoid expensive licenses for traditional application performance monitoring. You retain full control over your data and costs.

All in one place

We provide consulting, instrumentation, and operation—all from a single source. Also available as a managed service through NETWAYS Web Services upon request.

When Monitoring Isn’t Enough

In distributed systems, traditional monitoring is no longer sufficient. If a request passes through dozens of services, saying “the server is running” doesn’t tell us much about the actual problem.

No one can make heads or tails of it anymore

In environments with Kubernetes and microservices, no one knows exactly why a request is slow or where it’s getting stuck.

Tool silos without the big picture

Metrics are in one tool, logs are in another, and traces are often not available at all. Without context, the big picture remains hidden from you.

Monitoring alone is not enough

“Up” or “down” doesn’t explain why. In dynamic environments, you need insight into your system’s behavior—not just its availability.

How we work with you

We follow a four-step process: The end result is end-to-end observability that operates reliably in production.

Step 1

Analysis & Concept

We'll take a look at your architecture and critical paths and determine which metrics, logs, and traces are truly needed.

→ Focus on what truly drives user experience and operations.

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Step 2

Instrumentation & Integration

We instrument our applications using OpenTelemetry, collect metrics via Prometheus, and aggregate all signals in Grafana.

→ An open standard instead of proprietary agents and siloed solutions.

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Step 3

Commissioning & correlation

During the go-live, the signals are correlated. Dashboards and traces show you the path a request takes through all services. If you'd like, we can handle this as part of our Grafana consulting service, so that your dashboards are tailored to your business from the very start.

→ Identify root causes that extend beyond service boundaries.

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Step 4

Support & Operations

Upon request, we can fully manage the observability platform, including as a managed service through NETWAYS Web Services. Or we can train your team so that you can continue to run it on your own.

→ A stable platform, without having to build your own team of specialists.

The Pillars of Observability

Only when combined do metrics, logs, and traces provide a complete picture. We compile them for you and make them usable.

Application Performance

Metrics

Metrics over time: latency, error rate, throughput, and resource utilization, collected via Prometheus.

Effect: Trends and anomalies become visible early on.

Log Management

Logs

Structured events from applications and infrastructure provide the detailed context for an incident.

Effect: Understanding the nature and timing of a problem.

Distributed Tracing

Traces

The path of a single request across all involved services, visualized using distributed tracing with OpenTelemetry.

Effect: Pinpointing the bottleneck in the service network.

Grafana & SLOs

Correlation & Dashboards

We consolidate all three signal types in Grafana, allowing users to jump from a metric to the corresponding log and trace. This is exactly where our Grafana consulting services come in if you need custom dashboards for your team.

Effect: From symptom to cause at a glance.

Here’s What Observability Offers You

Identify Causes Faster · Better User Experience · No Vendor Lock-in

Identify Causes Faster

You can identify the root cause of a complaint in minutes rather than hours, with full traceability across all involved services.

Better User Experience

You’ll spot latency and errors before your users notice them and leave the site.

Remain independent

An open stack replaces expensive, closed APM suites. You remain independent of individual providers, whether you manage the system yourself or rely on our Managed Observability Service.

What is your solution built with?

We rely on proven open-source components that run either in-house or via NETWAYS Web Services. You decide what you’ll do yourself and what we’ll take care of.

Prometheus

Prometheus is the de facto standard for metrics-based monitoring in cloud-native environments. It collects and stores time series data from all your services.

Grafana

Grafana brings all the data together: dashboards, correlation, and the ability to jump from a metric to the corresponding log and trace—all in a single interface. With our Grafana consulting services, you can build dashboards that truly fit your business.

InfluxDB

InfluxDB is a time-series database designed for high-frequency performance and sensor data. It’s a good choice if you need to reliably store large amounts of metrics.

OpenTelemetry

OpenTelemetry is the vendor-neutral standard for instrumentation. You generate and collect metrics, logs, and traces in a consistent manner, without being tied to a specific provider.

We’ll integrate what you’re already using with

We rely on open standards and the cloud-native ecosystem. Here is a selection of the building blocks we use to build observability stacks.

Instrumentation

  • OpenTelemetry
  • OTLP
  • Auto-Instrumentation
  • Prometheus Exporter

Logs & Traces

  • Jaeger
  • Tempo
  • OpenSearch
  • Elastic

Platform & Cloud-Native

  • Kubernetes
  • OpenShift
  • Docker
  • Service Mesh

Metrics & Time Series

  • Prometheus
  • InfluxDB
  • Thanos
  • VictoriaMetrics

Visualization & Alerting

  • Grafana
  • Alert manager
  • Dashboards
  • SLO Reports

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions About This Solution

What is observability?

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Observability describes how well you can infer a system's internal state from its external signals. In practical terms, this means that you can use metrics, logs, and traces to understand why a system behaves the way it does—not just whether it's running. This is especially crucial in distributed systems when it comes to identifying the root causes.

What is the difference between observability and monitoring?

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Monitoring answers common questions such as "Is the server running?" or "Is the disk full?" using predefined checks. Observability continues. It allows you to ask new, even unknown questions and investigate unexpected behavior using metrics, logs, and traces. Monitoring tells you that something is broken. Observability helps you understand why.

What is distributed tracing?

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Distributed tracing tracks a single request as it travels through all the services involved, from the time it is received until the response is returned. Every step is logged with timestamps, so you can see which service is causing a delay in a request. In microservice architectures, this is often the only way to pinpoint a bottleneck.

What is OpenTelemetry?

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OpenTelemetry is an open, vendor-neutral standard for uniformly generating and collecting metrics, logs, and traces. You instrument your applications once and then send the signals to any backend, without being tied to a single provider. It is the foundation of modern observability.

How do I monitor microservices?

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You instrument your services with OpenTelemetry, collect metrics via Prometheus, capture traces across all calls, and bring everything together in Grafana. This way, you can see not only individual containers, but also the path each request takes through the entire system, including the dependencies between them. If you need help with this, we can handle it as part of a Grafana consulting engagement or as a complete managed observability service.

What is the difference between this and APM?

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APM, or Application Performance Monitoring, is usually the proprietary, vendor-locked version of what observability achieves using open standards. With OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, and Grafana, you can gain similar insights. However, you retain control over your data and costs without being locked into an expensive long-term license.

Can we expand our existing monitoring system instead of replacing it?

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Yes, that's actually the norm. Many customers are already using Prometheus, Grafana, or another tool. First, we'll review what you're already using and then specifically add any missing observability features, such as traces via OpenTelemetry. A complete rebuild is rarely necessary.

What is a Managed Observability Service?

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A Managed Observability Service means that we take full responsibility for operating your observability platform on your behalf. You'll receive ongoing maintenance, updates, and support through NETWAYS Web Services without having to build your own team of specialists. You can still help shape the instrumentation and consulting process at your own pace.
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