OTCA study plan
OTCA · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
OpenTelemetry Fundamentals and Concepts & Collector Architecture and Configuration
Define the core OpenTelemetry primitives (API, SDK, Collector, protocol) and explain how they relate without notes
Diagram the Collector's receiver, processor, exporter pipeline model and label each component's responsibility
Compare agent versus gateway Collector deployment topologies and list one trade-off for each
Set up a local Collector with a single receiver and exporter and confirm data flows end to end
Your checkpoint
A one-page architecture diagram plus a working local Collector config that ingests and exports at least one signal
Signals: Traces, Metrics, Logs, and Baggage & Collector Architecture and Configuration
Distinguish traces, metrics, logs, and baggage by data model and intended use case
Configure a Collector pipeline with at least two receivers, one processor, and two exporters
Explain how sampling decisions and processors affect what reaches the backend
Write a config that routes one signal to two different exporters
Your checkpoint
A Collector config file with a documented multi-signal pipeline and a short writeup of the data flow
Instrumentation (Automatic and Manual) & Context Propagation and Semantic Conventions
Instrument a sample application with automatic instrumentation and verify spans appear
Add manual spans and attributes to the same application alongside automatic instrumentation
Trace how context is propagated across a service boundary using the W3C trace context headers
Apply core semantic conventions to name spans and set attributes consistently
Your checkpoint
A two-service demo app producing a linked trace with semantic-convention-compliant span names and attributes
Instrumentation (Automatic and Manual) & Context Propagation and Semantic Conventions
Implement baggage propagation across at least one service hop and read it downstream
Identify and fix a broken context propagation scenario
Compare automatic versus manual instrumentation approaches and justify a choice per scenario
Audit span attributes against semantic conventions and correct deviations
Your checkpoint
A propagation troubleshooting log documenting one broken case, its root cause, and the fix
Collector Architecture and Configuration & Signals: Traces, Metrics, Logs, and Baggage
Configure processors for batching, memory limiting, and attribute modification
Explain how Collector component choice changes reliability and resource use
Build a pipeline that applies tail-based or sampling-related processing logic
Explain how metrics aggregation and temporality settings affect exported data
Your checkpoint
A hardened Collector config with batching, memory limiting, and attribute processing, plus a rationale note per processor
Context Propagation and Semantic Conventions & OpenTelemetry Fundamentals and Concepts
Map each core concept to the spec component that implements it
Design a propagation strategy for a mixed-technology environment
Explain resource attributes and how they identify telemetry sources
Document how semantic conventions evolve and how to handle versioning
Your checkpoint
A propagation and semantic-convention standards document for a hypothetical multi-service system
Deployment, Operations, and Troubleshooting & Collector Architecture and Configuration
Deploy a Collector in a containerized environment with health and readiness checks
Diagnose a failing pipeline using Collector logs and internal telemetry
Plan scaling and resource limits for a Collector based on expected throughput
Write a rollback and upgrade procedure for a Collector configuration change
Your checkpoint
A runbook covering deployment, health checks, common failure modes, and rollback steps
OpenTelemetry Fundamentals and Concepts & Signals: Traces, Metrics, Logs, and Baggage & Instrumentation (Automatic and Manual) & Collector Architecture and Configuration & Context Propagation and Semantic Conventions & Deployment, Operations, and Troubleshooting
Synthesize all domains into one end-to-end reference architecture
Complete a timed practice set across all domains and review every miss
Re-teach the two weakest domains from memory without reference material
Finalize a personal cheat sheet of facts you repeatedly missed
Your checkpoint
A complete end-to-end reference architecture writeup plus a scored practice-set review with remediation notes
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain the Collector pipeline model and produce a valid multi-signal config from scratch
Week 4: Can trace a request across two services and correctly propagate both trace context and baggage
Week 6: Can map every core concept to its implementing component and justify a propagation strategy
Week 8: Scores at or above target on a full timed practice set and has remediation notes for every missed item