Distributed Tracing — Spring Technical Interview Questions & Answers

Tracking a request across services with Sleuth/Zipkin.

Distributed Tracing

  • Distributed Tracing (cloud) is a Spring topic. In plain words you use it for a short Distributed Tracing cloud example in a small REST app. Don’t start with a slogan — start with that picture.
  • Smallest example: the smallest Distributed Tracing cloud example you can type. Type it, run it, and say what you see. If you can do that from memory, you know Distributed Tracing (cloud).
  • From the example next to this theory: Tracking a request across services with Sleuth/Zipkin.
  • Trap: only saying “Distributed Tracing cloud” with no example. Fix that before you talk about advanced Spring.
  • Viva: what is Distributed Tracing (cloud)? Then show the smallest Distributed Tracing cloud example you can type. Then name the trap.

Technical Interview Tip: What is Distributed Tracing (cloud)? Show this: the smallest Distributed Tracing cloud example you can type. Trap: only saying “Distributed Tracing cloud” with no example.

Code Examples for Distributed Tracing

Distributed Tracing — working example

// Topic: Distributed Tracing
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

@RestController
class TopicController {
  @GetMapping("/api/topic")
  String topic() {
    return "Spring Boot: Distributed Tracing";
  }
}

Distributed Tracing: GET /api/topic returns this title string.

How to Explain Distributed Tracing to an Interviewer

What is Distributed Tracing (cloud)?

Used for a short Distributed Tracing cloud example a small REST app Not just the heading

Give one small example of Distributed Tracing (cloud).

the smallest Distributed Tracing cloud example you can type Tracking a request across services with Sleuth/Zipkin

What mistake do beginners make with Distributed Tracing (cloud)?

only saying “Distributed Tracing cloud” with no example Show the fix

Where do you use Distributed Tracing (cloud)?

a small REST app a short Distributed Tracing cloud example