Create a useful first dashboard using service health, latency, traffic, errors, and resource saturation.
The core idea
Logs explain individual events; metrics show patterns over time; traces connect work across services. A small set of well-chosen signals is more useful than collecting everything without a question in mind.
A practical way to approach it
Track request rate, error rate, latency percentiles, and resource saturation. Add structured logs with request IDs, redact secrets and personal data, and define alerts around user impact rather than noisy individual events.
Try it in a small project
For an API, add a dashboard for p95 latency and error rate, then trigger a controlled failure in staging and verify that the alert and logs help identify the issue.
Common mistakes to avoid
Do not log passwords, tokens, or complete sensitive payloads. Set retention intentionally and test that alerts reach someone who can act.
Key takeaway
Keep the first version small, make your assumptions explicit, and verify the result with a repeatable test. For production use, check the current official documentation for the tools and versions you choose.