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OpenTelemetry integration for SQLCommenter and Ecto, adding telemetry context to SQL queries

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lib/opentelemetry_sqlcommenter.ex

defmodule OpentelemetrySqlcommenter do
@moduledoc """
Adds OpenTelemetry trace context to SQL queries as comments.
OpentelemetrySqlcommenter is an Elixir library that automatically adds
OpenTelemetry trace context to your SQL queries as comments. This enables
better observability by linking database operations with distributed
traces.
> **Note:** Currently only compatible with PostgreSQL databases.
## Features
- Automatically injects OpenTelemetry trace context into SQL queries
- Compatible with Ecto repositories using PostgreSQL
- Follows W3C Trace Context specification
- Minimal performance overhead
- Easy integration with existing projects
## Installation
Add `opentelemetry_sqlcommenter` to your list of dependencies in `mix.exs`:
```elixir
def deps do
[
{:opentelemetry_sqlcommenter, "~> 0.1.1"},
]
end
```
## Usage
1. In your Ecto repository, delegate the `prepare_query` function to OpentelemetrySqlcommenter:
```elixir
defmodule YourApp.Repo do
use Ecto.Repo,
otp_app: :your_app,
adapter: Ecto.Adapters.Postgres
defdelegate prepare_query(operation, query, opts), to: OpentelemetrySqlcommenter
end
```
2. That's it! Your SQL queries will now include trace context as comments:
```
SELECT u1."id", u1."email" FROM "user_token"
AS u0 INNER JOIN "user" AS u1 ON u1."id" = u0."user_id"
WHERE ((u0."token" = $1) AND (u0."context" = $2)) AND
(u0."inserted_at" > $3::timestamp + (-(60)::numeric * interval '1 day'))
/*traceparent='00-6b6bcfabaea5ef9890481e9b0c18efac-4deda0f3c249b6c7-01'*/
```
## Configuration
No additional configuration is needed if you already have OpenTelemetry set up in your application.
## How It Works
The library:
1. Intercepts queries before they're sent to the database
2. Checks for active OpenTelemetry trace context
3. If present, adds the trace context as a SQL comment
4. Preserves all existing query options
## Important Disclaimer
⚠️ **Impact on Query Performance**
This library disables prepared statements and query caching by setting
`prepare: :unnamed` for all queries. This is necessary because:
1. SQL comments make each query unique, even if the underlying SQL is identical
2. Prepared statements and caching rely on query text matching exactly
3. Adding trace context makes each query instance unique,
defeating the purpose of preparation and caching
### Performance Implications
- **Prepared Statements**: Normally, Postgres can prepare and cache
query execution plans. With this library, each query is treated as new,
requiring a new execution plan.
### When to Use
Use this library when:
- Trace context in SQL logs is more important than maximum query performance
- You're debugging or need detailed observability
- Your application's performance isn't critically dependent on prepared statements
Consider disabling it in performance-critical environments or creating a configuration option to toggle it based on your needs.
### Alternative Approaches
If you need both tracing and prepared statements, consider:
1. Using separate logging mechanisms for trace context
2. Implementing selective tracing for specific queries only
3. Using database-specific audit logging features
## Related Links
- [SQL Commenter with Postgrex](https://dev.to/dkuku/sql-commenter-with-postgrex-2bfd)
- [OpenTelemetry Documentation](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/)
- [W3C Trace Context Specification](https://www.w3.org/TR/trace-context/)
Adds OpenTelemetry trace context to SQL queries as comments.
This module is designed to be used with Ecto repositories to automatically inject
OpenTelemetry trace information into SQL queries. It adds a SQL comment containing
the W3C trace context (traceparent) to each query, enabling correlation between
database operations and distributed traces.
## Usage
In your Ecto repository, add:
defmodule YourApp.Repo do
use Ecto.Repo,
otp_app: :your_app,
adapter: Ecto.Adapters.Postgres
defdelegate prepare_query(operation, query, opts), to: OpentelemetrySqlcommenter
end
## Format
The module adds SQL comments in the following format:
```
YOUR QUERY/*traceparent='00-trace_id-span_id-flags'*/
```
"""
@doc """
Prepares a query by adding OpenTelemetry trace context as a SQL comment, but only for sampled traces.
This function is designed to be used with `defdelegate` in your Ecto repository to automatically
add trace context to all database queries when sampling is enabled (trace_flags = 1).
## Setup
defmodule MyApp.Repo do
use Ecto.Repo,
otp_app: :my_app,
adapter: Ecto.Adapters.Postgres
defdelegate prepare_query(operation, query, opts), to: OpentelemetrySqlcommenter
end
## Parameters
* `_operation` - The type of operation (unused, maintained for Ecto compatibility)
* `query` - The SQL query string
* `opts` - Query options keyword list
## Returns
* `{modified_query, modified_opts}` - Tuple containing the query and modified options with trace context
* `{query, opts}` - Original query and options if no active sampled trace is present
Note: This function disables prepared statements by setting `prepare: :unnamed` when adding trace context.
"""
def prepare_query(_operation, query, opts) do
with span_ctx when elem(span_ctx, 0) == :span_ctx <- OpenTelemetry.Tracer.current_span_ctx(),
traceparent when is_binary(traceparent) <- build_traceparent(span_ctx) do
comment = "traceparent='#{traceparent}'"
{query, [comment: comment, prepare: :unnamed] ++ opts}
else
_ -> {query, opts}
end
end
@doc """
Prepares a query by adding OpenTelemetry trace context as a SQL comment for any active span.
Similar to `prepare_query/3` but adds trace context for all traces regardless of sampling status.
Designed to be used with `defdelegate` in your Ecto repository when you want to track all queries.
## Setup
defmodule MyApp.Repo do
use Ecto.Repo,
otp_app: :my_app,
adapter: Ecto.Adapters.Postgres
defdelegate prepare_query(operation, query, opts), to: OpentelemetrySqlcommenter, as: :prepare_query_sampled
end
## Parameters
* `_operation` - The type of operation (unused, maintained for Ecto compatibility)
* `query` - The SQL query string
* `opts` - Query options keyword list
## Returns
* `{modified_query, modified_opts}` - Tuple containing the query and modified options with trace context
* `{query, opts}` - Original query and options if no active trace is present
Note: This function disables prepared statements by setting `prepare: :unnamed` when adding trace context.
"""
def prepare_query_sampled(_operation, query, opts) do
with {:span_ctx, _, _, _trace_flags = 1, _, _, _, _, _} = span_ctx <-
OpenTelemetry.Tracer.current_span_ctx(),
traceparent when is_binary(traceparent) <- build_traceparent(span_ctx) do
comment = "traceparent='#{traceparent}'"
{query, [comment: comment, prepare: :unnamed] ++ opts}
else
_ -> {query, opts}
end
end
defp build_traceparent(
{:span_ctx, trace_id, span_id, trace_flags, _tracestate, _is_valid, _is_remote,
_has_remote_parent, _impl}
) do
version = "00"
trace_id = encode_trace_id(trace_id)
span_id = encode_span_id(span_id)
trace_flags = encode_flags(trace_flags)
"#{version}-#{trace_id}-#{span_id}-#{trace_flags}"
end
defp build_traceparent(_), do: nil
defp encode_trace_id(trace_id) when is_integer(trace_id) do
trace_id
|> :binary.encode_unsigned()
|> Base.encode16(case: :lower)
|> String.pad_leading(32, "0")
end
defp encode_span_id(span_id) when is_integer(span_id) do
span_id
|> :binary.encode_unsigned()
|> Base.encode16(case: :lower)
|> String.pad_leading(16, "0")
end
defp encode_flags(1), do: "01"
defp encode_flags(0), do: "00"
defp encode_flags(trace_flags) when is_integer(trace_flags) do
Integer.to_string(trace_flags, 16) |> String.pad_leading(2, "0")
end
end