Hi Yufei,

[...] tying a BeforeUpdateTable event to the corresponding AfterUpdateTable
event.


It looks like this calls for a strong and always present ID in events.This
ID is obviously distincts from OTel context information and should be
persisted separately, IMHO.

I believe there's still an open question whether the request ID in the
events should be populated from the x-request-id in REST API headers.

Yufei: Is that required in your use cases?

Thanks,
Dmitri.



On Wed, Oct 29, 2025 at 1:05 PM Yufei Gu <[email protected]> wrote:

> I think the first question is whether any downstream use cases need to
> interpret the semantics of a request ID or OTel context. As I mentioned,
> the original purpose of a request ID was event correlation, e.g., tying a
> BeforeUpdateTable event to the corresponding AfterUpdateTable event. If
> that’s the only requirement, an opaque correlation ID is good enough. We
> could change the field name(request-id) if needed.
>
> If we do have use cases that depend on the meaning of the request ID or
> OTel context, we can store them in additional_properties (
>
> https://github.com/polaris-catalog/polaris/blob/main/persistence/relational-jdbc/src/main/resources/postgres/schema-v3.sql#L134-L134
> ).
> This is more flexible because it allows us to:
> 1. Record a key that indicates the format (e.g., x-request-id vs.
> otel-context).
> 2. Preserve both when Polaris receives both headers.
> 3. Add future tracing fields without a schema change.
>
> Yufei
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 29, 2025 at 9:20 AM Dmitri Bourlatchkov <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi All,
> >
> > From my POV the use cases for x-request-id and OTel are slightly
> different.
> > OTel is an observability use case where cross-linking of various pieces
> of
> > data is desired but not required in all cases (data loss is acceptable).
> > The x-request-id use case appears to have some very specific custom
> > applications without any obvious relationship to OTel.
> >
> > Given the current state of this discussion, I think it makes sense to
> > handle and persist them separately.
> >
> > However, if we intend x-request-id to act as an observability aid
> > alternative to OTel, then it might be preferable to have a config flag
> > indicating which one of them should be added to persistent event data. In
> > that case we should reuse the same column for them (and possibly add a
> > "type" prefix, e.g. "x-request-id:ABCDEF" or "traceparent:00-12345...")
> >
> > WDYT?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Dmitri.
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Oct 29, 2025 at 9:38 AM Alexandre Dutra <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi Yufei,
> > >
> > > > I’d suggest persisting a single opaque correlation ID instead
> > >
> > > The problem I see with this is that readers cannot know the syntax of
> > > the opaque id, and will have to "probe" using some heuristics, e.g. if
> > > the id matches the OTel trace context syntax, asume it's OTel,
> > > otherwise... assume it's something else.
> > >
> > > That's not unfeasible, but I wonder if it isn't better to store the 2
> > > ids separately.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > Alex
> > >
> > > On Tue, Oct 28, 2025 at 7:14 PM Yufei Gu <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Thanks Alex for raising this discussion. Thanks everyone for chiming
> > in.
> > > > The plan looks good to me overall.
> > > >
> > > > > Update PolarisEvent, expose request ID if available, expose OTel
> > > context
> > > > if available.
> > > >
> > > > https://github.com/apache/polaris/pull/2914 persists both request id
> > and
> > > > otel context.
> > > >
> > > > Do we actually need to persist both?
> > > > From the original discussion, the intent of a request ID was to
> > correlate
> > > > multiple events generated by the same request, for example, linking a
> > > > BeforeUpdateTable and an AfterUpdateTable event. In that sense, what
> we
> > > > really need is a single opaque identifier that ties related events
> > > > together, regardless of whether it comes from a request ID or an OTel
> > > > context.
> > > >
> > > > If we persist both fields (requestId and otelContext), it can lead to
> > > > consumer confusion, since downstream systems would need to decide
> which
> > > one
> > > > to rely on, potentially causing inconsistent event correlation.
> Unless
> > > > there are concrete use cases where event consumers need both, I’d
> > suggest
> > > > persisting a single opaque correlation ID instead. This keeps the
> > schema
> > > > simpler and ensures consistent event linking.
> > > >
> > > > Yufei
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, Oct 28, 2025 at 10:08 AM Alexandre Dutra <[email protected]>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Hi all,
> > > > >
> > > > > Here is the PR: https://github.com/apache/polaris/pull/2914
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks,
> > > > > Alex
> > > > >
> > > > > On Sun, Oct 26, 2025 at 5:49 PM Jean-Baptiste Onofré <
> > [email protected]>
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Hi
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Yeah it looks good to me and I agree we have a consensus.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Thanks !
> > > > > > Regards
> > > > > > JB
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Le dim. 26 oct. 2025 à 14:29, Alexandre Dutra <[email protected]
> >
> > a
> > > > > écrit :
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > Hi all,
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Thanks for the good discussion so far. I think we have a broad
> > > > > consensus.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Unless anybody disagrees I am going to move forward with the
> the
> > > > > > > following revised plan, incorporating the latest feedback:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > 1. Restore the original functionality for request IDs, change
> the
> > > > > > > default header name back to x-request-id
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > 2. Remove RequestIdGenerator and related functionality.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > 3. Update PolarisEvent, expose request ID if available, expose
> > OTel
> > > > > > > context if available.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > 4. Update events table SQL schema: insert request ID if
> > available,
> > > > > > > insert OTel context if available.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Thanks,
> > > > > > > Alex
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > On Sat, Oct 25, 2025 at 11:12 AM Jean-Baptiste Onofré <
> > > [email protected]
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > wrote:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Hi
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I think it's better to use w3c_trace_context (better than two
> > > > > fields).
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Regarding x-request-id, I think it's for a different purpose,
> > > > > > > > specifically for persistence. Personally, I think we can
> > achieve
> > > the
> > > > > > > > same with span and events.
> > > > > > > > If we want to "distinguish" the two layers, it makes sense to
> > > have
> > > > > > > > x-request-id (not sure it's super helpful). Else, I think we
> > can
> > > > > > > > achieve the same with span/event.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Just my $0.01
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Regards
> > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > On Sat, Oct 25, 2025 at 10:42 AM Adnan Hemani
> > > > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Hi all,
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > +1 to all of Alex’s AIs with Dmitri’s suggested changes as
> > > well.
> > > > > Great
> > > > > > > find, Dmitri!
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I’m still debating with myself on whether we need to store
> > the
> > > > > > > `x-request-id` field as part of the Events persistence. Can we
> > > think
> > > > > of a
> > > > > > > good use case where this is more helpful to the user than the
> > OTel
> > > > > > > Trace/Span IDs? I am making the assumption here that those are
> > > still
> > > > > being
> > > > > > > returned back to the client.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Best,
> > > > > > > > > Adnan Hemani
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > On Oct 24, 2025, at 9:12 AM, Alexandre Dutra <
> > > [email protected]>
> > > > > > > wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Hi Dmitri,
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Yes, I think your suggestion to use just one field
> > > > > w3c_trace_context
> > > > > > > > > > makes more sense than two fields (span_id and trace_id).
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > With that, I also think that we are slowly drifting into
> > > > > > > > > > implementation considerations; let's get consensus on the
> > > general
> > > > > > > > > > design first, and we can certainly fine-tune the actual
> > Java
> > > > > methods
> > > > > > > > > > and SQL table columns in the future PR. WDYT?
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Thanks,
> > > > > > > > > > Alex
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Oct 24, 2025 at 5:14 PM Dmitri Bourlatchkov <
> > > > > > > [email protected]> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> Hi All,
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> Many thanks for the background info, Adnan!
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> +1 to action items proposed by Alex!
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> Re: (3) Can we abstract request/trace info into a
> separate
> > > > > object
> > > > > > > without
> > > > > > > > > >> exposing those accessors on the Event class directly?
> OTel
> > > > > defines
> > > > > > > > > >> trace/span concepts, but in request ID is a bit foreign
> to
> > > OTel.
> > > > > > > Having
> > > > > > > > > >> tracing / request ID isolated in java could help with
> > > > > maintaining
> > > > > > > it and
> > > > > > > > > >> potentially supporting other (custom) tracing methods.
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> Re: (4) I'd like to propose storing OTel correlation
> data
> > > in the
> > > > > > > form of a
> > > > > > > > > >> standard context propagation string, e.g. W3C
> > trace-context
> > > [1]
> > > > > > > (same value
> > > > > > > > > >> as its HTTP header), so the column could be called
> > > > > > > w3c_trace_context or
> > > > > > > > > >> simply trace_context.
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> Open question: do we need to write a separate,
> individual
> > > trace
> > > > > ID
> > > > > > > field in
> > > > > > > > > >> SQL? I suppose it is not very useful since correlating
> it
> > to
> > > > > other
> > > > > > > trace
> > > > > > > > > >> data already requires understanding OTel context
> > propagation
> > > > > and a
> > > > > > > query
> > > > > > > > > >> against trace_context can still be made using
> > > string-matching
> > > > > > > clauses. We
> > > > > > > > > >> could probably (additionally) store it in the request_id
> > > column
> > > > > if
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > >> Polaris-specific request ID header is not set.
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> As for span ID, I do not really see a use case for
> > > persisting it
> > > > > > > > > >> individually. It is very specific to OTel trace data
> > > > > construction.
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> Actually, using the W3C trace context [1] encoding
> > probably
> > > > > makes
> > > > > > > sense in
> > > > > > > > > >> the java event representation too. Interested callers
> can
> > > easily
> > > > > > > decode
> > > > > > > > > >> this information since the format is well-defined. As a
> > side
> > > > > > > benefit, this
> > > > > > > > > >> opens opportunities for downstream event consumers to
> > > connect
> > > > > > > (propagate
> > > > > > > > > >> context) to traces that produced events based on the
> event
> > > data
> > > > > > > itself,
> > > > > > > > > >> without relying on the intermediate frameworks. This may
> > be
> > > > > > > desirable since
> > > > > > > > > >> the current Polaris event persistence impl. writes
> events
> > in
> > > > > > > batches, so
> > > > > > > > > >> the association to individual requests that produced
> those
> > > > > events
> > > > > > > is lost.
> > > > > > > > > >> Whether to perform this kind of context propagation will
> > be
> > > at
> > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > >> discretion of the event consumer, of course (outside of
> > > Polaris
> > > > > > > code).
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> [1]
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.w3.org/TR/trace-context/&source=gmail-imap&ust=1761927167000000&usg=AOvVaw2fn0lRsTx-f9r4PCz8wmJK
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> WDYT?
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> Thanks,
> > > > > > > > > >> Dmitri.
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >> On Fri, Oct 24, 2025 at 7:18 AM Alexandre Dutra <
> > > > > [email protected]>
> > > > > > > wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >>
> > > > > > > > > >>> Hi all,
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > > > > >>> Thank you for chiming in; the context around request
> IDs
> > > is now
> > > > > > > clear.
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > > > > >>> Trying to summarize this thread into actionable items,
> > > here's
> > > > > what
> > > > > > > I
> > > > > > > > > >>> propose:
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > > > > >>> 1. Restore the original functionality for request IDs.
> > > > > > > > > >>>    - Change the default header name back to
> x-request-id
> > > > > (despite
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > >>> x- prefix being deprecated), but keep it configurable
> as
> > > today.
> > > > > > > > > >>> 2. Remove RequestIdGenerator and related functionality.
> > > > > > > > > >>>    - Do not generate a request ID if the REST client
> > > doesn't
> > > > > > > provide one.
> > > > > > > > > >>> 3. Update PolarisEvent:
> > > > > > > > > >>>    - Expose new requestId(), traceId(), spanId()
> methods,
> > > all
> > > > > > > nullable.
> > > > > > > > > >>>    - This would align with the emerging consensus
> around
> > > > > including
> > > > > > > > > >>> contextual information in PolarisEvent [1].
> > > > > > > > > >>> 4. Update events table SQL schema:
> > > > > > > > > >>>    - Insert the client-provided request ID into the
> > > request_id
> > > > > > > > > >>> column; otherwise, insert null.
> > > > > > > > > >>>    - Add two new nullable columns, trace_id and
> span_id,
> > > and
> > > > > > > populate
> > > > > > > > > >>> them if OTel is enabled.
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > > > > >>> From our discussions, I think it's important to not
> > > conflate
> > > > > OTel
> > > > > > > > > >>> tracing fields with Envoy tracing fields, which is why
> I
> > > > > suggest we
> > > > > > > > > >>> use separate fields / columns for them.
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > > > > >>> Would the above plan work for everyone?
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > > > > >>> Thanks,
> > > > > > > > > >>> Alex
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > > > > >>> [1]:
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lists.apache.org/thread/rl5cpcft16sn5n00mfkmx9ldn3gsqtfy&source=gmail-imap&ust=1761927167000000&usg=AOvVaw02wPvb0qxRzYAKEP0h8l9T
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > > > > >>> On Fri, Oct 24, 2025 at 9:33 AM Adnan Hemani
> > > > > > > > > >>> <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>> Hi all,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>> Thanks to Alex for starting this thread - because of
> > > this, I’m
> > > > > > > just
> > > > > > > > > >>> coming to the realization that OTel Trace and Span IDs
> > are
> > > > > coming
> > > > > > > built-in
> > > > > > > > > >>> with Quarkus and my previous work to generate a
> > > > > > > Request/Correlation ID is
> > > > > > > > > >>> likely not needed as a result. My original motivation
> for
> > > > > > > generation of a
> > > > > > > > > >>> Request/Correlation ID was to ensure that any client
> can
> > > > > uniquely
> > > > > > > identify
> > > > > > > > > >>> a request made to Polaris, which would be especially
> > > useful for
> > > > > > > debugging
> > > > > > > > > >>> failing requests or identifying call patterns.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>> As a result, I’m a +1 on Michael’s opinion: we should
> > > remove
> > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > >>> Request/Correlation ID generation and always use the
> OTel
> > > > > > > trace/span IDs
> > > > > > > > > >>> (which come for free with Quarkus) instead for the
> > > Correlation
> > > > > ID
> > > > > > > unless a
> > > > > > > > > >>> valid header is present, which would take over as the
> > > > > Correlation
> > > > > > > ID
> > > > > > > > > >>> instead.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>> —
> > > > > > > > > >>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>> To answer Dmitri’s question re Polaris Events: The
> > > intended
> > > > > use
> > > > > > > case is
> > > > > > > > > >>> to provide some sort of correlation between events that
> > > have
> > > > > > > occurred as
> > > > > > > > > >>> part of the same request. For example, if a user makes
> an
> > > > > > > CommitTransaction
> > > > > > > > > >>> request, it would be helpful to see all UpdateTable
> calls
> > > that
> > > > > > > were made as
> > > > > > > > > >>> part of that one user request.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>> Best,
> > > > > > > > > >>>> Adnan Hemani
> > > > > > > > > >>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> On Oct 23, 2025, at 12:15 PM, Dmitri Bourlatchkov <
> > > > > > > [email protected]>
> > > > > > > > > >>> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> Hi Michael,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> Logging x-request-id headers makes sense.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> Just to confirm: if / when we restore that, Polaris
> > will
> > > NOT
> > > > > > > generate
> > > > > > > > > >>> new
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> IDs in case the header is not present in the request,
> > > > > correct?
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> I believe x-request-id can co-exist with OTel.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> What about adding request IDs to events [1][2]?
> What's
> > > the
> > > > > > > intended use
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> case for that? Could you share some context here too?
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> Side note: I proposed [2877] flagging event
> persistence
> > > as
> > > > > > > "beta" in
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> 1.2.0... This discussion adds another point towards
> > > that, I
> > > > > > > think.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> [1]
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://github.com/apache/polaris/blob/2f0c7a43d446452004ea51196b618de9bdf0e25b/runtime/service/src/main/java/org/apache/polaris/service/events/listeners/inmemory/InMemoryBufferEventListener.java%2523L97%26source%3Dgmail-imap%26ust%3D1761851831000000%26usg%3DAOvVaw1WfUaXLp6z_M87iAXEqSUw&source=gmail-imap&ust=1761927167000000&usg=AOvVaw1Pioys4ROm8vYM_mdx4ygH
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> [2]
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://github.com/apache/polaris/blob/19742cc20f4bc0b7e5a315a62f89c6085ad81b7d/runtime/service/src/main/java/org/apache/polaris/service/events/listeners/PolarisPersistenceEventListener.java%2523L66%26source%3Dgmail-imap%26ust%3D1761851831000000%26usg%3DAOvVaw12-7e3ahm2sLSkLSNqTecm&source=gmail-imap&ust=1761927167000000&usg=AOvVaw1PGW6uFwtUN8F1dOlJwrpm
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> [2877]
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://github.com/apache/polaris/pull/2877%2523discussion_r2456300613%26source%3Dgmail-imap%26ust%3D1761851831000000%26usg%3DAOvVaw3TuYbkzwnLx3QEVIM8oDda&source=gmail-imap&ust=1761927167000000&usg=AOvVaw2Tfk7wAM1MaB5z9Dvw5X5H
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> Thanks,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> Dmitri.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> On Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at 2:23 PM Michael Collado <
> > > > > > > > > >>> [email protected]>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> Hey Dmitri
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> The generating a request id is new code that was
> added
> > > > > after the
> > > > > > > > > >>> original
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> x-request-id support. You can see the state from ~1
> > year
> > > > > ago, we
> > > > > > > > > >>> hard-coded
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> request_id as the header we used for the MDC -
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://github.com/apache/polaris/blob/a6197bd7d8cb5551253fa427e4373897205ecece/polaris-service/src/main/java/org/apache/polaris/service/PolarisApplication.java%2523L415-L416%26source%3Dgmail-imap%26ust%3D1761851831000000%26usg%3DAOvVaw35Q1A_2avAiSYlYVAnZxBb&source=gmail-imap&ust=1761927167000000&usg=AOvVaw34DksOw7DSHJu8PfQQ5bT6
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> . At some point, it was changed to be configurable,
> > > then the
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> ContextResolverFilter filter was
> refactored/eliminated
> > > and
> > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> RequestIdFilter took its responsibility, but lost
> some
> > > of
> > > > > its
> > > > > > > original
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> functionality.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> My personal opinion is that restoring support for
> the
> > > > > > > x-request-id
> > > > > > > > > >>> header
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> is something that we should do, but if the header
> > isn't
> > > > > present,
> > > > > > > > > >>> falling
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> back on simply using OTel trace ids is good enough
> > > (better,
> > > > > > > even) than
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> generating another random request id.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> Mike
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> On Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at 10:47 AM Dmitri
> Bourlatchkov <
> > > > > > > > > >>> [email protected]>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> Hi Michael,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> Thanks for the info!
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> Working with Envoy's tracing headers makes sense to
> > me.
> > > > > > > However, I
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> wonder:
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> why would Polaris need to generate a new request ID
> > > inside
> > > > > its
> > > > > > > > > >>> code?..
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> and return it in response headers?
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> How important is it to propagate this ID to Polaris
> > > Events?
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> I'm just trying to understand the full context :)
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> Thanks,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> Dmitri.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> On Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at 1:29 PM Michael Collado <
> > > > > > > > > >>> [email protected]>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> I think the original intention for this requestId
> > > field
> > > > > was to
> > > > > > > > > >>> support
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> request propagation from load balancers, like
> Envoy
> > (
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.envoyproxy.io/docs/envoy/latest/intro/arch_overview/observability/tracing%26source%3Dgmail-imap%26ust%3D1761851831000000%26usg%3DAOvVaw1RnuM8mViV-j7jvuxq74Aw&source=gmail-imap&ust=1761927167000000&usg=AOvVaw3LNqtilZ2OoJfE7yEwraZa
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> ), which is distinct from OTEL. Don't ask me why
> the
> > > > > default
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> is Polaris-Request-Id - I think it was originally
> a
> > > custom
> > > > > > > thing,
> > > > > > > > > >>> but
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> then
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> we changed to integrate with existing conventions.
> > > > > > > Unfortunately,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> looking
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> through the code, I think that the actual
> functional
> > > > > plumbing
> > > > > > > has
> > > > > > > > > >>> been
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> lost
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> in the course of multiple refactors around the
> call
> > > > > context
> > > > > > > and
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> resolver. I
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> don't see references to that property or the
> > > underlying
> > > > > > > header.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> Support for the unofficial x-request-id header
> feels
> > > like
> > > > > > > something
> > > > > > > > > >>> we
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> should definitely keep, especially when Polaris is
> > one
> > > > > > > service in a
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> mesh
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> of
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> services that maybe don't have OTel integration.
> > I'm a
> > > > > fan of
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > >>> OTel
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> standard, but it's not entirely ubiquitous and
> there
> > > are
> > > > > many
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> middleware
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> layers that know how to forward on the
> x-request-id
> > > > > header.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> Mike
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> On Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at 3:00 AM Robert Stupp <
> > > > > [email protected]>
> > > > > > > > > >>> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> Yes, we should aim for interoperability with the
> > > existing
> > > > > > > de-facto
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> standard OTel and make it easy for users to
> > integrate
> > > > > into
> > > > > > > their
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> observability platforms.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> On Wed, Oct 22, 2025 at 7:05 PM Dmitri
> > Bourlatchkov <
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> [email protected]>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> Hi Alex and All,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> I certainly support the idea of following OTel
> > > > > standards for
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> achieving
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> "correlation" wrt Polaris requests and/or
> events.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> As to what form the correlation data should
> take,
> > I
> > > > > believe
> > > > > > > it is
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> conceptually what the OTel "context" represents.
> > > So, I
> > > > > > > believe it
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> makes
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> sense for Polaris to support standard context
> > > > > propagators
> > > > > > > at the
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> API
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> layer.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> If the incoming request has OTel context
> > > information,
> > > > > then
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> returning
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> any
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> other "correlation" data in the response is
> > > redundant, I
> > > > > > > think.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> If the incoming request does not have OTel
> context
> > > info,
> > > > > > > what is
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> the
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> purpose of generating a Polaris-specific
> > > "correlation
> > > > > ID"?
> > > > > > > How is
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> it
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> envisioned to be used?
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> If the intention is to correlate a Polaris
> > response
> > > > > > > (operation)
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> with
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> events
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> that might have resulted from its execution, I
> > > believe a
> > > > > > > more
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> robust
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> approach would be to propagate the OTel trace
> info
> > > > > > > (starting a new
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> trace
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> if
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> necessary) into event data. Then, Polaris can
> also
> > > > > return
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > >>> trace
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> context
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> in the API response (top span). It's a bit
> awkward
> > > from
> > > > > the
> > > > > > > OTel
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> perspective, but might be an option for
> supporting
> > > > > custom
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> correlators.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> It
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> could be covered by a feature flag. The header
> > name
> > > > > could be
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> "polaris-traceparent" for W3C Trace Context.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> Custom correlation code will be able to extract
> > the
> > > > > trace
> > > > > > > ID from
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> the
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> response and from events and find related data.
> > > > > Granted, it
> > > > > > > will
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> require
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> a
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> bit more effort for the custom code to decode
> > trace
> > > IDs
> > > > > > > from the
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> OTel
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> context, but the format is standard and not
> > > complex. The
> > > > > > > benefit
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> for
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> Polaris, though, is that it can easily integrate
> > > with
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> OTel-compatible
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> observability platforms regardless of whether
> any
> > > > > particular
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> deployment
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> uses custom correlators or not.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> WDYT?
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> Thanks,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> Dmitri.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> On Wed, Oct 22, 2025 at 6:03 AM Alexandre Dutra
> <
> > > > > > > > > >>> [email protected]
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> Hi all,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> Today, Polaris has the notion of "request ID",
> > but
> > > its
> > > > > > > purpose is
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> not
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> entirely clear. It seems to serve as an
> > > observability
> > > > > > > feature to
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> facilitate correlation. A pending PR aims to
> > > rename it
> > > > > to
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> "correlation
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> ID" for better alignment with industry
> standards
> > > [1].
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> However, this PR has brought to light overlaps
> > with
> > > > > core
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> telemetry
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> features: when OpenTelemetry (OTel) is enabled
> in
> > > > > Polaris,
> > > > > > > each
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> request already has a trace ID and span ID,
> > making
> > > a
> > > > > > > separate
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> correlation ID redundant.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> Moreover, using the OTel trace ID and span ID
> in
> > > > > Polaris
> > > > > > > events,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> rather than the generated correlation ID, would
> > > > > > > significantly
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> simplify
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> correlation of events with other traces.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> Therefore, I propose the following changes:
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> 1. If OTel is enabled, use the trace ID and
> span
> > > ID as
> > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> correlation
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> ID for the request, instead of generating a
> > random
> > > > > > > correlation
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> ID.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> 2. Otherwise, if a (Polaris-specific)
> correlation
> > > ID
> > > > > > > header is
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> present
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> in the request, use it.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> 3. If neither of the above conditions is met,
> > > generate
> > > > > a
> > > > > > > random
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> correlation ID.
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> I am somewhat undecided on the best approach
> > when a
> > > > > > > correlation
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> ID
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> header is present in the request. However, I
> > > believe it
> > > > > > > would be
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>> more
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> sensible to disregard it if OTel is enabled, as
> > > OTel
> > > > > > > offers a
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>> more
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> robust solution for client-to-server trace
> > > propagation,
> > > > > > > e.g. W3C
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>> Trace
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> Context propagation [2].
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> Please share your thoughts!
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> Thanks,
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> Alex
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> [1]:
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://github.com/apache/polaris/pull/2757%26source%3Dgmail-imap%26ust%3D1761851831000000%26usg%3DAOvVaw1-kAWfEk4tmsEg0q0GZBCn&source=gmail-imap&ust=1761927167000000&usg=AOvVaw1Oe-25vtt4gLVSMFMtSVNg
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>> [2]:
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.w3.org/TR/trace-context%26source%3Dgmail-imap%26ust%3D1761851831000000%26usg%3DAOvVaw22nMyOS7pbJ69XrBo5kHQS&source=gmail-imap&ust=1761927167000000&usg=AOvVaw1TRdkzABc_7U-_KZ1MZ59v
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>>
> > > > > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
>

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