AWS X-Ray review
A focused tracing service for AWS workloads with OpenTelemetry ingestion and usage-based pricing.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
AWS X-Ray collects distributed trace data from instrumented applications and AWS services, groups segments into traces, and presents service graphs for troubleshooting request paths, latency, errors, and dependencies. It is designed for teams running applications across AWS services such as Lambda, EC2, ECS, EKS, API Gateway, AppSync, Step Functions, and DynamoDB. The product is available through web and API interfaces, with support for AWS SDKs, X-Ray APIs, AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry, and CloudWatch Application Signals.
Pricing is usage-based across two billing areas. Recording traces costs $5 per 1 million traces per month, with the first 100,000 traces recorded each month free. Retrieval and scanning cost $0.50 per 1 million traces per month, with the first 1,000,000 traces retrieved or scanned each month free. This structure suits AWS workloads that need costs to track observability volume, but teams should account for both collected data and later retrieval or scanning. X-Ray also provides configurable sampling rates, annotations and metadata for filtering, trace groups with filter expressions, and trace-map filters for duration and status codes. Trace retention is 30 days.
AWS X-Ray is a strong fit when service mapping and distributed request tracing need to sit close to an AWS-native architecture. OpenTelemetry trace ingestion through collectors and the CloudWatch Agent broadens its instrumentation path, while integrations across compute, API, workflow, and database services support common AWS application patterns. The main qualification is its current transition path: AWS states that the X-Ray SDKs and daemon entered maintenance mode on February 25, 2026, and recommends migration to OpenTelemetry. Teams starting new instrumentation should therefore prioritize the OpenTelemetry route; teams seeking a non-cloud deployment model or a tracing product outside the AWS ecosystem should choose an alternative.
AWS X-Ray pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Service maps and trace timelines clarify request paths and dependencies
- Integrates with Lambda, EC2, ECS, EKS, API Gateway, and Step Functions
- Supports sampling, annotations, trace groups, and OpenTelemetry ingestion
- Where it doesn't
- Cloud deployment limits it to hosted environments
- Trace retrieval and scanning have separate usage-based charges
- X-Ray SDKs and daemon entered maintenance mode on February 25, 2026
AWS X-Ray fact sheet, pricing and score →
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