TraceQL Internals: Building a Query Language for Distributed Traces

Distributed tracing is essential for understanding systems and service interactions in cloud-native systems. 

l will discuss Tempo’s deep integration with OpenTelemetry, including how OpenTelemetry conventions, scopes, and specs shape its storage, query layer, and query language design.

This talk focuses on the design and implementation of TraceQL, why we built it, and deep dives into Grafana Tempo's storage and query layer and usages of object store to achieve low storage costs.

l will talk about how Grafana Tempo’s cost-efficient, scalable architecture leverages object stores and Apache Parquet to store trace data and power TraceQL, a purpose-built query language for trace data.

This talk revolves around Tempo’s architecture and how TraceQL helps you get more out of the Trace data at lower cost by making use of object stores and columnar storage format Apache Parquet.

Attendees will learn how and why behind the building TraceQL, and how it helps us make distributed tracing better and get more value out of the trace data.

We will deep dive into Tempo's Internals with a focus on the Query and Storage Layer.