zipkin-go
Zipkin-Go is the official OpenZipkin distributed tracing library for Go applications. It provides instrumentation for HTTP, gRPC, and Kafka to capture and export trace data to Zipkin backends, enabling visibility into service-to-service communication and latency analysis.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | openzipkin/zipkin-go |
| Owner | openzipkin |
| Primary language | Go |
| License | Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 622 |
| Forks | 115 |
| Open issues | 13 |
| Latest release | v0.4.3 (2024-04-29) |
| Last updated | 2025-02-06 |
| Source | https://github.com/openzipkin/zipkin-go |
What zipkin-go is
Zipkin-Go implements the Zipkin V2 Span Model with pluggable reporters (HTTP, Kafka), B3 propagation for context propagation across services, and middleware for HTTP, gRPC, and standard library integration. The library is modular, with separate packages for model, propagation, middleware, and reporting concerns.
Get the zipkin-go source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/openzipkin/zipkin-go.gitcd zipkin-go# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Plan sampling strategy early; Zipkin-Go supports sampling flags in B3 propagation, but unsampled spans still incur tracing overhead.
- Use the HTTP Reporter for most cases; Kafka Reporter requires operational knowledge of Kafka topics and producer configuration.
- Middleware integration varies by framework; standard library and gRPC are fully supported, but higher-level frameworks may require adapter layers.
- Ensure Zipkin backend is available and properly configured before enabling tracing; misconfigured reporters may silently drop spans.
- Consider span buffering behavior in the HTTP Reporter to balance throughput with memory usage in high-QPS environments.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- No Zipkin Backend Planned — If your observability stack uses only other tracing backends (e.g., Jaeger, Datadog), alternative libraries with native support may be a better fit.
- Minimal Instrumentation Requirements — For simple applications with few cross-service calls, the overhead of setting up tracing infrastructure may exceed observability value.
- Very Large Trace Volumes at High Sampling — If you cannot accept sampling and need full trace capture at scale, evaluate reporter performance and Zipkin backend capacity limits upfront.
- Custom Propagation Formats Required — Library currently supports Zipkin B3 propagation; if non-standard context propagation is mandatory, custom implementation or alternative libraries may be needed.
License & commercial use
Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0), a permissive OSI-approved license permitting commercial use, modification, and distribution with attribution and liability disclaimers.
Apache 2.0 clearly permits commercial use. No special permissions are required to use zipkin-go in proprietary applications or services. Review the full license text for indemnification and patent clauses if relevant to your business context.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Low |
| DEV.co fit | Strong |
| Assessment confidence | High |
Library handles span data (request/response metadata, service names, timing). Spans may contain sensitive information; implement filtering at middleware layer or configure reporter to scrub PII before export. Ensure Zipkin backend endpoint is authenticated and TLS-encrypted if spans cross untrusted networks. No known CVEs mentioned in data provided.
Alternatives to consider
Jaeger Go client
Also distributed tracing; Jaeger is OpenTelemetry-compatible and has broader backend support (Datadog, cloud vendors). Use if already invested in Jaeger ecosystem.
OpenTelemetry Go SDK
Modern, vendor-neutral tracing standard; supports multiple backends (Zipkin, Jaeger, cloud vendors) and is the future direction. Heavier than zipkin-go but more flexible.
Elastic APM Go agent
If integrated with Elastic Stack, provides out-of-box integration and dashboards. Zipkin-Go is lighter and more portable but less opinionated.
Build on zipkin-go with DEV.co software developers
Discuss observability strategy, Zipkin backend setup, and instrumentation approach with our engineering team. We help you design scalable tracing for distributed systems.
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zipkin-go FAQ
Can I use zipkin-go without a Zipkin backend?
Does zipkin-go support OpenTelemetry?
What is the performance impact of tracing with zipkin-go?
How do I propagate trace context across async Go goroutines?
Work with a software development agency
DEV.co helps companies turn open-source tools like zipkin-go into production software. Our software development services cover the full lifecycle — architecture, web development, integration, and maintenance — delivered by software developers and web developers who ship. Engage our software development agency to implement or customize it for your open-source observability stack.
Evaluate Zipkin-Go for Your Go Microservices
Discuss observability strategy, Zipkin backend setup, and instrumentation approach with our engineering team. We help you design scalable tracing for distributed systems.