Does distributed tracing provide the ability to trace across multiple services?

Distributed tracing is designed specifically to address the complexities of monitoring and observing requests that traverse multiple services in a microservices architecture. By capturing specific data points, or traces, as requests flow through different services, it allows for a comprehensive view of the entire transaction from start to finish.

This capability enables developers and system administrators to understand how different services interact, where bottlenecks may occur, and how latency is distributed across the various components of an application. Furthermore, distributed tracing often includes context propagation, which ensures that relevant metadata and trace identifiers are passed along with requests between services. This interconnected view is essential for diagnosing performance issues, optimizing resource usage, and improving overall system reliability.

The other options do not accurately represent the core functionality of distributed tracing. It is not limited to single services, as that would undermine its purpose and utility in a microservices ecosystem. Additionally, the ability to trace is not restricted to specific incidents; it can be employed continuously to monitor performance and track user requests in real-time across the entire service landscape.