Visualization of Microservices-based Information System Architectures Using OpenTelemetry Data

Within the framework of the presented article, the relevance and necessity of solving the problem of visualizing the architecture of information systems based on microservices is substantiated. This task is especially significant both for the process of developing new systems and for optimizing the operation of existing ones. To provide comprehensive and balanced up-to-date information about the structure and interaction of microservices, an approach is required that is focused on automatically collecting and processing information about the relationships between microservices and their internal structure for the purpose of subsequent visualization of architectural diagrams. The authors found that specialized software trace logs provide sufficient information for visualizing the architecture. In their article, the authors took a closer look at tracing issues in the context of OpenTelemetry, an open-source project designed specifically for collecting telemetry data from software and then analyzing it. The authors proposed the C4 model as a means for visualizing architecture. The C4 model is a relatively new approach to modeling software systems, which involves the development and representation of context, containers, components, code and their relationships. The main task that the authors set for themselves is to automate the process of creating C4 model diagrams based on data received from OpenTelemetry. This approach will significantly simplify the process of understanding the structure and dynamics of interaction between microservices within the system. The key result of the research is the development of algorithms for collecting and converting trace data to create C4 diagrams, as well as the creation of appropriate software that implements these algorithms.