Introduction
As a Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) increasingly facing the challenges of Observability, I recently picked up a book to systematically deepen my understanding of this crucial concept. The journey through its pages not only illuminated the nuances of Observability but also resonated with my background in social sciences.
Understanding Observability: More Than Just Monitoring
The first chapter of the book sets the stage by exploring what Observability is and how it differs from traditional monitoring. It describes Observability as an essential component for modern, complex distributed systems. An application equipped with Observability should inherently have the capacity to:
- Understand internal behaviors.
- Grasp the state of the application even at a first glance.
- Utilize external tools to comprehend both internal behaviors and states.
- Achieve understanding of internal states without the need for additional code.
At first glance, these concepts might seem intricate. Essentially, Observability is about being able to observe states and behaviors without predefined logs or metrics – a critical shift from traditional monitoring approaches.
Human Aspect in Distributed Systems
The book goes on to highlight the often-overlooked social complexity inherent in modern systems. Built by multiple humans, these systems are not just technological constructs but also embody organizational and cultural elements. As someone who studied social sciences in college, this perspective rekindles my past learnings and seems particularly enlightening.
Relevance to Modern System Development
For professionals involved in the development and operation of modern, complex systems like microservices and distributed systems, this book offers invaluable insights. It addresses similar challenges to those discussed in "Designing Data-Intensive Application," which I read earlier this year in a reading group, but approaches them from a refreshingly different angle.
Initial Reflections and Anticipation
Having only delved into the first chapter, I already realize that fully grasping the concept of Observability is not an overnight task. It raises questions about how many engineers or SREs can truly answer what Observability is and how it extends beyond what is covered in this book regarding monitoring.
Key Elements of Observability
The book suggests that Observability's core is not just the commonly cited trio of Metrics, Logs, and Traces but involves three critical aspects: High Cardinality, High Dimensionality, and Explorability. While the chapter doesn't delve into specifics, it sets a promising stage for deeper exploration in subsequent sections.
Conclusion and A Look Ahead
As I continue reading, comparing and contrasting the Observability practices in my team with the insights from this book seems to be an intriguing exercise. Observability appears to be about more than the traditional pillars and focuses on broader, more explorative aspects.
