> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.obiguard.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Tracing

> Obiguard Tracing lets you track the full lifecycle of your LLM requests in a single, chronological view.

This is perfect for agentic workflows, chatbots, or multi-step LLM calls, by helping you understand and optimize your AI application’s performance.

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  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/obiguard/_318MPbXmhiIrdOv/images/obiguard-tracing.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=_318MPbXmhiIrdOv&q=85&s=cf241993eee99d28e0b99cd92301e0c3" style={{ borderRadius: '0.5rem' }} width="1200" height="665" data-path="images/obiguard-tracing.png" />
</Frame>

## How Tracing Works

Obiguard uses OpenTelemetry-compliant tracing to monitor your LLM requests.
By attaching a trace ID to your requests, all related LLM calls are automatically grouped in the Traces View and displayed as “spans” within a trace.

A “span” represents a subgroup of LLM calls.
Depending on your instrumentation, a span can refer to a group within a trace or a single LLM call.

## Trace Tree Structure

Obiguard implements tracing using a tree-like structure, similar to OpenTelemetry.

Each node in this tree is a span, identified by a unique `spanId` and an optional `spanName`. Child spans reference their parent using `parentSpanId`. Spans without a parent become root nodes.

```
traceId
├─ parentSpanId
│  ├─ spanId
│  ├─ spanName
```

| Key          | Node             | Key - Python  | Expected Value | Required? |
| ------------ | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | --------- |
| traceId      | trace\_id        | Unique string | YES            |           |
| spanId       | span\_id         | Unique string | NO             |           |
| spanName     | span\_name       | string        | NO             |           |
| parentSpanId | parent\_span\_id | Unique string | NO             |           |

## Benefits of Tracing

* **Cost Analysis**: Monitor total LLM costs for each trace.
* **Debugging**: Quickly review all related requests in a trace and spot issues.
* **Performance Monitoring**: Gain visibility into the full request lifecycle and overall trace timing.