Trace
A practical DevOps definition, with an example you can use.
A record of the path a request takes through a system, made up of related spans representing units of work.
An example you can picture
A checkout trace includes an API span, a payment-service span, and a database span. Their timings help identify where the request spent time.
The distinction that matters
A trace is not a complete log of everything the system did. Sampling and instrumentation influence which requests and operations are visible.
Put it into practice
Sketch a request crossing an API, a worker, and a database. Name each span and its parent. Identify how a slow database call would appear in the overall request duration.
Connect the ideas: logs and metrics. For the bigger picture, read the related learning guide.
Reference
Read the primary documentation for the underlying concept and further detail.