[Yandex Cloud documentation](../../index.md) > [Monium](../index.md) > Traces > Getting started

# Monium Traces

Monium Traces is a distributed tracing system in Monium. It enables you to track requests as they move through services and components of your infrastructure: find the causes of errors, identify bottlenecks, and analyze performance.

Monium Traces receives data over the [OpenTelemetry](https://opentelemetry.io/) protocol (OTLP). To send traces, you can use any compatible tool: OpenTelemetry Collector, SDK, or other agents.

## Problems addressed by tracing {#use-cases}

In **microservice architectures**, tracing helps you to:

* **Localize errors**: Determine which of the many services caused the failure.
* **Analyze performance**: Identify the service or component that is slowing down the request.
* **Track the request path**: Observe which services and databases the request flowed through.
* **Investigate rare events**: Understand the causes behind anomalous system behavior.

In **monolithic architectures**, tracing enables you to:

* **Analyze the internal request structure**: Track execution through layers of logic (controllers, business logic, repositories) and find bottlenecks.
* **Diagnose recurring failures**: Find the root cause of unstable behavior that is difficult to reproduce.

![image](../../_assets/monium/span_map.png)

## Connection setup {#connection-setup}

To send traces to Monium Traces, use any tool compatible with the OpenTelemetry protocol (OTLP), e.g., OpenTelemetry Collector or OpenTelemetry SDK.

If you are a Yandex Cloud user already familiar with OpenTelemetry, simply use the parameters below for the connection.

If you are just getting started with tracing, use [this data delivery setup guide](../collector/index.md). It explains how to install the agent and configure sending telemetry to Monium, with examples.

### Connection settings {#connection}

* Monium accepts data in [OpenTelemetry (OTLP)](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/) format.

* Endpoint: `ingest.monium.yandex.cloud:443`.

* Authorization: [Service account](../../iam/operations/sa/create.md) with the `monium.traces.writer` role and [API key](../../iam/operations/iam-token/create-for-sa.md) with the `yc.monium.traces.write` scope.

* Project title: `x-monium-project=folder__<folder_ID>`.

* Resource attributes: `service.name` (application name) and `cluster` (environment, the default value is `default`).

## Viewing traces {#view-traces}

1. On the [Monium home page](https://monium.yandex.cloud), select **Traces** on the left.
1. At the top, set the search interval using the timeline, a preset interval, or by entering the time value directly.
1. Select **Search by traces** or **Search by spans**.
1. Enter a date search [query](../concepts/querying.md).

   By default, the search will take place in the current project: `folder__<folder_ID>`, you can choose another one.

1. Click **Execute**.

1. To open a separate trace, specify its ID in the **Enter trace.id** field at the top right.

For more on trace viewing and searching, see [Searching for traces and spans](operations/traces-explorer.md).