Glossary · 6 · SDK interoperation
OpenTelemetry
Also known as: OTel
In software operations, OpenTelemetry (OTel) is a vendor-neutral open-source observability framework of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) that defines APIs, SDKs, semantic conventions, a data protocol (OTLP) and a Collector for generating, processing and exporting telemetry such as traces, metrics and logs.
- SDK interoperation
- Standards
In one sentence
OpenTelemetry is a vendor-neutral CNCF framework of APIs, SDKs, the OTLP protocol and a Collector for traces, metrics and logs.
Example
A device gateway, a cloud API and a documentation portal all emit traces through OpenTelemetry; the Collector forwards them to one backend, so a slow page load can be followed from the browser to the database.
How it applies
- Across all four SDK types: OpenTelemetry is an example of an SDK that spans domains. Libraries, services, platform extensions and device software can emit telemetry in one format and with shared semantic conventions, which supports observability and makes distributed tracing across organizational and technical boundaries possible.
- Developer SDKs: Client libraries can be instrumented against the OpenTelemetry API, so that every call they make appears as a span in the application's traces without forcing a monitoring vendor on their users.
- Platform SDKs: Host platforms can propagate trace context into extensions, so that the work of a plug-in shows up in the host's traces.
- Hardware SDKs: Gateways and edge devices can export metrics and logs through OTLP or through the Collector; resource-constrained devices often send data to a gateway that does the translation.
- Documentation: Instrumented libraries should document which spans, metrics and attributes they emit, which semantic conventions they follow and how to switch telemetry off. Telemetry can contain personal or confidential data; what is collected must be decided and documented.
API vs. SDK in OpenTelemetry
The specification separates each signal into an API, an SDK, semantic conventions and contrib packages. The API holds the cross-cutting interfaces that libraries and application code import for instrumentation; without an SDK it does nothing. The SDK is the implementation chosen by the application owner: it configures sampling, processing and exporters. Library authors depend only on the API, application owners install the SDK — so a library never decides where its telemetry goes.
Background
OpenTelemetry is the result of a merger of the projects OpenTracing and OpenCensus. It was accepted to the CNCF on May 7, 2019, moved to the incubating level on August 26, 2021 and to the graduated level on May 11, 2026 (as of October 11, 2026). The maturity of the individual signals and language implementations differs; check the status pages before relying on a signal in production.