dotnet
Improve clarity around app insights integration
Based on https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/4687
This was AI generated 😄
Understanding Telemetry Options
Aspire provides flexibility in how telemetry is collected and sent to Application Insights. There are two primary approaches for integrating with Application Insights:
1. Classic Application Insights SDK
The classic Application Insights SDK is the traditional method for instrumenting .NET applications. It provides features such as:
- Built-in telemetry collection for HTTP requests, dependencies, exceptions, and more.
- Custom telemetry via the
TelemetryClientAPI.
However, this SDK is not compatible with OpenTelemetry-based configurations used by Aspire’s AddServiceDefaults() method.
2. OpenTelemetry with Azure Monitor
OpenTelemetry is a modern standard for telemetry collection. Aspire uses OpenTelemetry for tracing and metrics through its AddServiceDefaults() method. With OpenTelemetry:
- Telemetry is vendor-agnostic, allowing integration with multiple backends.
- You can use the Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry Distro to send telemetry to Application Insights.
Key Differences:
| Feature | Classic Application Insights SDK | OpenTelemetry with Azure Monitor |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Requires manual setup for advanced features. | Offers a more modern, standardized API. |
| Compatibility | Not compatible with OpenTelemetry setups. | Fully compatible with Aspire defaults. |
| Extensibility | Limited to Application Insights features. | Open, vendor-neutral, supports other backends. |
| Instrumentation Standards | Application-specific APIs (e.g., TelemetryClient). |
OpenTelemetry standards. |
For detailed guidance on each approach, see:
