Rails

Implement OpenTelemetry instrumentation for Ruby on Rails applications to collect traces, metrics, and monitor HTTP requests using the Ruby OTel SDK.

Note: This guide provides a concise overview based on the official OpenTelemetry documentation. For complete information, please consult the official OpenTelemetry documentation.

Overview

This guide demonstrates how to:

• Set up OpenTelemetry instrumentation for Rails applications
• Configure automatic request and database tracing
• Implement custom instrumentation
• Collect HTTP metrics
• Export telemetry data to OpenTelemetry Collector

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• Ruby 2.7 or later installed
• Rails application set up
• Bundler installed for package management

Required Packages

Install the following necessary packages by gem install or add it to Gemfile and run bundle install.

gem 'opentelemetry-sdk'
gem 'opentelemetry-exporter-otlp'
gem 'opentelemetry-instrumentation-all'
gem 'opentelemetry-instrumentation-rails'
gem 'opentelemetry-instrumentation-net_http'
gem 'opentelemetry-instrumentation-active_support'
gem 'opentelemetry-instrumentation-active_record'
gem 'opentelemetry-instrumentation-rack'
gem 'opentelemetry-semantic_conventions'

Traces

Traces give us the big picture of what happens when a request is made to an application. Whether your application is a monolith with a single database or a sophisticated mesh of services, traces are essential to understanding the full “path” a request takes in your application.

Auto Instrumentation

config/initializers/otel.rb

require 'opentelemetry/sdk'
require 'opentelemetry/exporter/otlp'

OpenTelemetry::SDK.configure do |c|
  c.service_name = 'rails-app'

  c.use 'OpenTelemetry::Instrumentation::Rails'
  c.use 'OpenTelemetry::Instrumentation::ActiveRecord'
  c.use 'OpenTelemetry::Instrumentation::Net::HTTP'
  c.use 'OpenTelemetry::Instrumentation::ActiveSupport'
  c.use 'OpenTelemetry::Instrumentation::Rack', {
    record_frontend_span: true
  }

  c.add_span_processor(
    OpenTelemetry::SDK::Trace::Export::BatchSpanProcessor.new(
      OpenTelemetry::Exporter::OTLP::Exporter.new(
        endpoint: 'http://localhost:4318/v1/traces'
      )
    )
  )

end

TRACER = OpenTelemetry.tracer_provider.tracer('rails-app', '0.1.0')

Trace data will now be sent to the OTEL Collector.

Add Custom Spans

def do_work():
    TRACER.in_span("span.name") do |span|
        # doing some work
    end
end

Add Span Attributes

Attributes let you attach key/value pairs to a span so it carries more information about the current operation that it’s tracking.

def do_work():
    TRACER.in_span("span.name") do |span|
        span.set_attribute("attribute.key", "attribute.value")
        # doing some work
    end
end

Add Semantic Attribute

Semantic Attributes are pre-defined Attributes that are well-known naming conventions for common kinds of data.

require 'opentelemetry/semantic_conventions'

def do_work():
    TRACER.in_span("span.name") do |span|
        span.add_attributes({
            OpenTelemetry::SemanticConventions::Trace::HTTP_METHOD => "GET",
            OpenTelemetry::SemanticConventions::Trace::HTTP_URL => "https://opentelemetry.io/",
        })
        # doing some work
    end
end

Add Span Events

A span event is a human-readable message on a span that represents “something happening” during it’s lifetime.

def do_work():
    TRACER.in_span("span.name") do |span|
        span.add_event("Starting to work")
        # doing some work
        span.add_event("Ending the work")
    end
end

Once configured, trace data will be automatically collected and sent to the OpenTelemetry Collector.

View your traces in the base14 Scout observability platform.

Note: Ensure your OpenTelemetry Collector is properly configured to receive and process the trace data.

Reference

Official Traces Documentation