What it does
Jaeger is a distributed tracing platform with collector and query roles. The current v2 quickstart combines those roles in an all-in-one container and exposes a UI for exploring traces. Applications must be instrumented before they can send trace data, so Jaeger is a backend for a tracing pipeline rather than an automatic application monitor.
Try the trace path locally
The v2 quickstart starts an all-in-one container, accepts OTLP data, and serves the Jaeger UI. Its default storage is transient in-memory storage, which is useful for learning how a trace appears but not for retaining production data. Instrument a small service with an OpenTelemetry library, export traces to Jaeger, and use the UI to follow spans across the request. The Jaeger documentation recommends OpenTelemetry instrumentation and describes separate collector and query roles for more controlled deployments.
Treat the local all-in-one setup as a demonstration. A production system needs an explicit storage backend and configuration for the volume, traffic, and operational roles it will handle. Jaeger v2 is the current line; the project states that v1 reached end of life in 2025.
Strengths
- The all-in-one setup combines trace collection and query/UI roles for a quick local evaluation.
- The architecture can be split into collector, query, and other roles.
- The project is Apache-2.0 licensed and publishes current v2 releases.
Watch out for
- Applications must be instrumented and export traces before Jaeger can display them.
- All-in-one uses transient in-memory storage, so it is not a persistent production configuration.
Best for
- Exploring distributed traces from an instrumented service
- Learning the boundary between trace instrumentation, collection, storage, and query
Sources
- Getting Started | Jaeger (Oct 25, 2026)
- Architecture | Jaeger (Oct 25, 2026)
- LICENSE | jaegertracing/jaeger (Oct 25, 2026)
- Latest release | jaegertracing/jaeger GitHub API (Oct 25, 2026)