Open telemetry

OpenTelemetry is an open-source observability framework that provides a set of APIs, SDKs, and tools to instrument, generate, collect, and export telemetry data (such as metrics, logs, and traces). It helps developers gain deep visibility into their applications by standardizing how telemetry data is collected and transmitted to observability backends like Prometheus, Jaeger, Honeycomb, and others. OpenTelemetry is a vendor-neutral standard supported by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), making it a preferred choice for monitoring distributed systems and microservices.

SimpleIdServer can be easily configured to support OpenTelemetry. To get started, install the NuGet package:

cmd.exe

dotnet add package SimpleIdServer.IdServer.OpenTelemetry

Then, update your Program.cs file by invoking the EnableOpenTelemetry() method from the fluent API. This method accepts two callbacks:

• One for configuring metrics
• One for configuring traces

Program.cs

EnableOpenTelemetry(m =>
{
    m.AddConsoleExporter();
    m.AddOtlpExporter(o =>
    {
        o.Endpoint = new Uri("");
        o.Headers = "";
        o.Protocol = OtlpExportProtocol.HttpProtobuf;
    });
}, t =>
{
    t.AddEntityFrameworkCoreInstrumentation(o =>
    {
        o.EnrichWithIDbCommand = (activity, command) =>
        {
            var stateDisplayName = $"{command.CommandType} main";
            activity.DisplayName = stateDisplayName;
            activity.SetTag("db.name", stateDisplayName);
            activity.SetTag("db.text", command.CommandText);
        };
    });
    t.AddConsoleExporter();
    t.AddOtlpExporter(o =>
    {
        o.Endpoint = new Uri("");
        o.Headers = "";
        o.Protocol = OtlpExportProtocol.HttpProtobuf;
    });
});

Default Instrumentation

By default, the following OpenTelemetry instruments are enabled:

• AddAspNetCoreInstrumentation: Monitors incoming HTTP requests to the Identity Server API.
• AddHttpClientInstrumentation: Monitors outgoing HTTP requests from the Identity Server to other APIs.

These provide valuable insights into both internal and external communication.

Built-in Trace Categories

The Identity Server defines three types of traces:

• Basic: Tracks internal logic processing, such as grant type handling.
• Store: Tracks operations involving database access, such as retrieving user data.
• Cache: Tracks operations interacting with the cache, like storing authorization codes.

All these trace categories are enabled by default but can be configured based on your needs.

Metrics Provided by the Identity Server

Here’s a summary of the built-in metrics you can monitor:

Metric Name	Description	Tags
user.count	Total number of users	—
auth.requests.count	Total authentication requests	realm, client
auth.success.count	Successful authentications	realm, client
auth.failure.count	Failed authentications	realm, client
logout.count	Logout events	realm
consent.prompt.count	Consent prompts shown	realm, client
consent.accepted.count	Consents accepted	realm, client
consent.rejected.count	Consents rejected	realm, client
token.issued.count	Tokens issued	realm, client, grant_type
id_token.issued.count	ID tokens issued	realm, client, grant_type
refresh_token.issued.count	Refresh tokens issued	realm, client, grant_type
access_token.issued.count	Access tokens issued	realm, client, grant_type
authorization_code.issued.count	Authorization codes issued	realm, client
token.failed.count	Failed grant types	realm, client
token.rejected.count	Rejected tokens	realm, client

These metrics allow you to understand usage patterns, detect anomalies, and improve system reliability and performance.

Next Steps

To configure exporters and customize telemetry further, refer to the official .NET observability documentation. With just a few lines of code, you can start observing your Identity Server like never before—unlocking insights that help diagnose issues faster and optimize user experience.