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Traces Summary

The Traces tab in the Trace Explorer page displays a searchable list of sampled spans matching your current filters. Each row represents a trace root span with summary information.

Traces Summary

Trace List Columns​

Each trace in the list displays:

ColumnDescription
Root SpanThe operation name of the trace's root span
ServiceThe service that generated the root span
TypeHTTP method (GET, POST) or protocol (gRPC)
Start TimeWhen the trace began
DurationTotal trace duration
SummaryVisual bar showing span count and timing breakdown per service

Searching and Filtering​

Filter from Selection​

After selecting a region on the distribution heatmap:

  1. The trace list automatically filters to matching spans
  2. Duration and time constraints are applied
  3. Use this to focus on slow or anomalous requests

Add Filter Button​

Click Add Filter to add attribute-based filters:

  1. Select a label name (e.g., http.status_code, service.name)
  2. Select operator - equals to, not equals to, matches regex, does not match regex.
  3. Enter or select values to match.
  4. Multiple filters are combined with AND logic

Trace Row Details​

Summary Bar​

The summary bar on each row visualizes:

Span Distribution​

Span Distribution gives a color-coded summary of how many times each span is occurring in the trace.

Span Distribution

This can quickly help you identify N+1 queries/api calls as repeated queries would be surfaced higher in the summary distribution.

N+1 Query Pattern

N+1 Query pattern is a performance problem in which the application makes repeated calls to Database or another service in a loop instead of using batched APIs.

Duration by Service​

Duration breakdown by Service gives a color-coded summary of time spent by each service involved in the trace.

Duration by Service

This can quickly help you identify the offending service which is causing higher latency.

Expanding a Trace​

Click on any trace row to open the Trace View panel, which shows:

  • Full span waterfall
  • Span attributes and metadata
  • Related logs and metrics
  • Service graph context

Best Practices​

  1. Start broad, then narrow: Begin with a time range, then add service or status filters
  2. Use the heatmap selection: Drag on the distribution chart to quickly isolate slow or problematic traces
  3. Check the summary bar: A trace with many spans or long duration may indicate N+1 queries or cascading delays.
  4. Drill down into a trace: To identify what's causing the slowness or error in the execution.