Trace View vs Trace List: Different Tools

Trace views show one trace; trace lists show many. The tasks each is for, and the cases where teams use the wrong one.

Trace view

One trace, all spans, full hierarchy. Used for root-cause analysis on a single problem.

When you have a specific bad request to debug.

Trace list

Aggregate stats across many traces. Used for trend analysis and outlier detection.

When you do not yet know which trace is bad.

Workflow

Start with list to find candidates. End with view to debug specifics.

Many engineers jump straight to view; they end up cherry-picking. The list is the better starting point.