go-diagnostics execution-tracing latency-debugging production-tools memory-efficient

Go 1.25 flight recorder buffers execution traces in-memory

Capture execution traces of the last N seconds on-demand when your service detects anomalies, eliminating the need to sample or instrument production proactively.

Summary

Latency debugging in long-running services now shifts from probabilistic sampling (storage-heavy, requires fleet-wide infrastructure) to scalpel-precise snapshots triggered by your own error detection logic. You collect traces only for the problematic window, not days of data.

Why it matters

Implementation verdict

Replaces manual trace.Start/Stop patterns and fleet-wide sampling strategies. Requires Go 1.25+, minimal config (MinAge, MaxBytes), and one function call to snapshot when needed. Ready to adopt now—no breaking changes, opt-in API, production-safe memory bounds.

Sources

1.flight recording is now available in Go 1.25
2.The flight recorder buffers the last few seconds of the trace in memory
3.you can expect a few MB of trace data to be produced per second of execution, or 10 MB/s for a busy service
4.MinAge configures the duration for which trace data is reliably retained
5.MaxBytes configures the size of the buffered trace so you don't blow up your memory usage

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