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Next.js already traces your requests. Here's how to export them with OpenTelemetry.

Blog post from Sentry

Post Details
Company
Date Published
Author
Kyle Tryon
Word Count
1,608
Company Posts That Month
6
Language
English
Hacker News Points
-
Summary

Next.js offers built-in support for tracing, which can be instrumental in identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks in web applications by recording incoming requests, fetch calls, middleware, and server-side rendering as spans in an execution timeline. These traces can be exported to any OpenTelemetry-compatible backend using the @vercel/otel library, allowing developers to monitor and analyze individual spans within a request to pinpoint slow components. While Next.js automatically includes generic tracing, adding custom spans for critical application operations can provide deeper insights into performance issues. The choice between using OpenTelemetry's vendor-neutral OTLP protocol or the Sentry SDK depends on the developer's existing infrastructure and needs, with the latter offering more comprehensive browser-side tracing and error monitoring. Deploying traces to platforms like Sentry enables teams to convert trace data into actionable insights through monitors, alerts, and dashboards, thereby integrating tracing into their operational workflows to improve application performance and user experience.

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