OpenObservability Talks
Shopify’s Journey to Planet-Scale Observability - OpenObservability Talks S5E09
Feb 27, 2025
Elijah McPherson, an engineering leader at Shopify with expertise in observability, discusses the company's ambitious journey to create an in-house observability stack called Observe. He dives into the challenges of vendor lock-in and the strategic pivot to open-source solutions. Elijah emphasizes the critical role of developer experience and user feedback in building tools that meet engineers' needs. The conversation highlights innovative features like the Investigate API and the importance of integrating business metrics for enhanced performance insights.
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Quick takeaways
- Shopify transitioned from multiple vendor-based tools to their in-house observability stack, Observe, to reduce costs and avoid vendor lock-in.
- The Observe platform, primarily built using Grafana, highlights the integration of business metrics alongside traditional observability metrics for enhanced insights.
Deep dives
The Shift to In-House Observability
Shopify embarked on an extensive project to transition from multiple vendor-based observability tools to an in-house solution called Observe. This transition was driven primarily by escalating costs associated with external vendors that did not correlate with their performance improvement metrics. By opting for an in-house observability stack, Shopify aimed to create a tailored platform that would facilitate integration with their existing infrastructure while avoiding vendor lock-in. This strategic move not only aimed to reduce costs but also fostered enhanced control over observability processes, allowing for cohesive monitoring of their extensive data needs.
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