How to Add Metrics, Logs, and Traces to a Node.js API Using OpenTelemetry

A technical guide published on DEV Community explains how to implement full observability in a Node.js Express API using three core telemetry pillars: metrics, logs, and distributed traces. The tutorial distinguishes observability from traditional monitoring, noting that observability allows engineers to investigate unexpected failures without writing new code each time. The hands-on walkthrough uses Prometheus and prom-client for metrics, Pino for structured logging, and the OpenTelemetry SDK for distributed tracing, with Grafana handling visualization. A key emphasis is placed on correlating all three data types via a shared trace ID, enabling engineers to move from a latency alert to the specific failing request and its error context. The article provides a fully runnable local stack so developers can apply the setup in their own environments.