In shortAlerts that mean something / Logs you can actually read / Traces for the hard stuff / SLOs, not vibes.
1. Alerts that mean something
If it pages, it matters. If it does not matter, it does not page.
2. Logs you can actually read
Structured logs with a request ID in every line. When something breaks, search by ID, not by hope.
3. Traces for the hard stuff
A trace shows where a request spent its time. It is the closest thing to a map you will get.
4. SLOs, not vibes
Define what good looks like in numbers, and measure against it. Your gut is a poor monitoring system.
Written by Reginald Crowe, Chief Technology Rooster. Disagree? Tell us. We read every message, usually before the second coffee.