From zero to traces: Choosing the right APM instrumentation method for your stack

Instrumenting a tech stack for distributed tracing can be a complex and time-consuming process, often taking weeks or even months for large fleets with services written in multiple languages. Datadog's Single Step Instrumentation (SSI) significantly reduces this time, allowing applications to send traces to Datadog APM in minutes by automatically injecting tracers at process startup without requiring code changes. Although SSI is recommended as the default method due to its efficiency, there are instances where manual or custom instrumentation may be necessary, such as with Go services, unsupported runtime versions, or platforms lacking host-level Agent control. Manual instrumentation offers control over the tracer's version and upgrade cadence, while custom instrumentation provides additional detail for specific business contexts by allowing developers to add their own spans or tags. The decision between using SSI, manual, or custom instrumentation hinges on the specific needs and constraints of the services involved, with SSI serving as the primary method and manual or custom options filling in where SSI falls short.

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