ThingWorx Observability
ThingWorx Platform uses OpenTelemetry (OTel), an open-source observability framework that generates and manages telemetry data, including traces, metrics, and logs. OpenTelemetry is vendor and tool agnostic, so it works well with multiple backend observability tools.
OpenTelemetry provides capabilities to generate, collect, manage, and export telemetry data. You can use applications or systems regardless of language, infrastructure, or runtime environment.
ThingWorx Platform integrates with OpenTelemetry through the following components:
• OpenTelemetry SDK — Integrated with the ThingWorx Platform during installation.
• OpenTelemetry Collector — Serves as an intermediary between ThingWorx Platform and observability tools and handles batching, encryption, and sensitive data filtering.
The OpenTelemetry SDK and the OTel Collector do not store or visualize telemetry data; these tasks are handled by external tools. ThingWorx Platform uses OpenTelemetry for the following:
• Logging — Captures logs in application environments. For more information, see OpenTelemetry Support for Logging in ThingWorx Platform.
• Metrics — Monitors system health and performance metrics. For more information, see OpenTelemetry Support for Metrics in ThingWorx Platform.
• Tracing — Provides end-to-end visibility of request flows across services. For more information, see OpenTelemetry Support for Tracing in ThingWorx Platform.
OpenTelemetry Collector Deployment
You can deploy the OpenTelemetry Collector as a sidecar container, using Docker or by manual installation.
• Docker Deployment — The docker-compose-otel-collector.override.yml file is included in the ThingWorx Docker image files. You can download it from the PTC Software download page.
• Manual Installation — Download the OpenTelemetry Collector from the Install the Collector page on the OpenTelemetry website.
Deployment Examples:
• Standalone Server Deployment
◦ The OpenTelemetry Collector is the receiver, processor, and exporter of telemetry data.
◦ Observability backend examples include Sumo Logic, Datadog, or Splunk.
• High Availability Deployment
◦ The OpenTelemetry Collector is the receiver, processor, and exporter of telemetry data.
◦ Observability backend examples include Sumo Logic, Datadog, or Splunk.
SSL Configuration
You must configure the OpenTelemetry Collector with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Based on your deployment, obtain an SSL certificate and trust store.
The following settings are available in the OpenTelemetry Collector configuration:
tls:
insecure: false
ca_file: server.crt
cert_file: client.crt
key_file: client.key
min_version: "1.1"
max_version: "1.2"
For more information, see OpenTelemetry’s official documentation on Configuration.