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Distributed Trace Decoder & Waterfall Visualizer

· Last updated：2026-04-01

Decode Jaeger, Zipkin, or OpenTelemetry trace JSON and render span timing, dependencies, and error hotspots as an interactive waterfall report

Details

What this tool helps you do

Paste trace JSON from Jaeger, Zipkin, or OpenTelemetry export files to inspect span depth, service timing, error spans, and execution order in a browser-friendly waterfall layout.

Execution

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Written by the Elysia Tools team
JSON107

Tool usage guide

Learn when to use this tool, what it supports, and how real users apply it.

Key facts

Category
Development
Input types
textarea, select, checkbox
Output type
html
Sample coverage
4
API ready
Yes

Overview

The Distributed Trace Decoder & Waterfall Visualizer transforms raw trace JSON from Jaeger, Zipkin, or OpenTelemetry into an interactive, browser-friendly waterfall report. Paste your trace export to instantly inspect span depth, service timing, execution order, and error hotspots without needing to spin up a dedicated tracing backend.

When to use

  • When debugging high latency or performance bottlenecks across distributed microservices.
  • When analyzing raw trace JSON exports locally without access to the original Jaeger or Zipkin UI.
  • When isolating error spans and failed requests within complex distributed transactions.

How it works

  1. 1Paste your raw trace JSON export into the input field.
  2. 2Select the trace format (Jaeger, Zipkin, or OpenTelemetry) or leave it on auto-detect.
  3. 3Choose your preferred time display unit (microseconds, milliseconds, or seconds) and optionally filter to show only error spans.
  4. 4The tool parses the JSON and renders an interactive waterfall chart displaying span timing, parent-child dependencies, and service summaries.

Use cases

  • SREs investigating a sudden spike in API latency by visualizing a Zipkin trace export to find the slowest database query span.
  • Backend developers debugging a failed microservice checkout flow by filtering a Jaeger JSON export to show only error spans.
  • DevOps engineers verifying OpenTelemetry instrumentation by inspecting the parent-child span hierarchy and timing units locally.

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Who it's for

Best for

  • Parse content in the browser.
  • Workflows where Trace Format matters, such as Auto Detect or Jaeger JSON.
  • The “Render a checkout trace waterfall” workflow, done in one pass.

Not ideal for

  • Fully automated batch jobs — this page is built for interactive use; use the API endpoint for scripts.
  • Content in other formats — this tool expects content.

Edge cases & common failures

  • Very large files

    Large files take longer and can hit browser memory limits — try a smaller sample first.

  • Skipping the output check

    Compare the first rows or pages of the output with the input before using it in production.

  • Files from unusual exporters

    Some files use format variants that do not convert cleanly — if the output looks wrong, re-save the file from the app that created it and try again.

Examples

1. Debugging Checkout Latency

Backend Developer

Background

A microservices architecture is experiencing intermittent timeouts during the checkout process. The developer has downloaded a raw Jaeger trace JSON file for a slow request.

Problem

Identifying which specific downstream service is causing the delay without deploying a local Jaeger instance.

How to use

Paste the Jaeger JSON into the Trace JSON field, set the format to 'Jaeger JSON', and select 'Milliseconds' as the display unit.

Trace Format: Jaeger JSON, Display Unit: ms, Show Only Error Spans: false

Outcome

The tool renders a waterfall chart revealing that the payment-service span took 180ms, pinpointing it as the bottleneck.

2. Isolating Microservice Errors

Site Reliability Engineer

Background

An alert triggered for a high error rate in the API gateway. The SRE exported an OpenTelemetry trace containing hundreds of spans.

Problem

Sifting through a massive JSON file to find the exact span and service where the failure originated.

How to use

Paste the OpenTelemetry JSON, select 'Auto Detect' for the format, and check the 'Show Only Error Spans' box.

FAQ

Which trace formats are supported?

The tool supports raw JSON exports from Jaeger, Zipkin, and OpenTelemetry (OTel). You can select the specific format or use the auto-detect feature.

Can I filter the waterfall to only show errors?

Yes, you can check the 'Show Only Error Spans' option to hide successful operations and focus entirely on failed spans and error hotspots.

Does this tool send my trace data to a server?

No, all JSON parsing and waterfall rendering happens locally in your browser. Your trace data remains private and secure.

How do I change the time units on the waterfall?

Use the 'Display Unit' dropdown to toggle the span duration metrics between microseconds (us), milliseconds (ms), and seconds (s).

What information is displayed in the waterfall?

The waterfall visualizes execution order, parent-child span dependencies, service names, operation names, total duration, and highlights any spans tagged with errors.

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