Backend considerations

Your choice of metrics, logs, and traces backends determines the types of analyses you can perform:

For metrics

• Time series databases: Rate calculations, aggregated metrics
• Columnar stores: Complex queries, unique user analysis
• Full-featured observability platforms: Advanced querying, visualization, alerting

For events/logs

• Log aggregation systems: Full-text search, log analysis
• Columnar stores: Structured event analysis
• Full-featured observability platforms: Correlation between metrics and events

For traces

Choose a backend that supports distributed trace storage and span correlation:

• Distributed tracing systems: Span visualization, request waterfalls, latency analysis
• Full-featured observability platforms: Trace search and correlation with metrics and logs

For organizations requiring Daily/Weekly/Monthly Active User (DAU/WAU/MAU) metrics, consider backends that support efficient unique value queries.