> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.trace0hq.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is OpenTelemetry?

> Learn what OpenTelemetry is and why Trace0 is built on it.

[OpenTelemetry](https://opentelemetry.io) (OTel) is an open-source observability framework maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). It provides a single, standardised set of APIs, SDKs, and instrumentation libraries for collecting traces, metrics, and logs from your services.

## Why OpenTelemetry?

Before OpenTelemetry, every observability vendor had its own proprietary agent or SDK. Switching tools meant re-instrumenting your entire codebase. OpenTelemetry solves this by providing a vendor-neutral standard that any platform — including Trace0 — can receive data from.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Open standard" icon="globe">
    OpenTelemetry is governed by the CNCF and supported by every major cloud provider and observability vendor. Your instrumentation is never locked to a single tool.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Rich ecosystem" icon="puzzle-piece">
    Libraries exist for every major language and framework. Most popular frameworks (Spring Boot, Express, Django, FastAPI, and more) are auto-instrumented with zero code changes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Traces, metrics & logs" icon="layer-group">
    A single SDK captures all three telemetry signals — no need for separate agents or integrations for each signal type.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Future-proof" icon="shield">
    Because your code uses open-source instrumentation rather than proprietary agents, you can switch observability backends at any time without touching your application code.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Using OpenTelemetry with Trace0

See the [Getting Started](/getting-started/overview) page to get started.