Files
rippled/OpenTelemetryPlan/01-architecture-analysis.md
Pratik Mankawde faaec003f4 docs(telemetry): update plan docs for simplified RPC/gRPC attr naming
Update OpenTelemetryPlan docs and Telemetry.h doc example to reflect
the renamed per-span attributes: xrpl.rpc.command -> command,
xrpl.rpc.status -> rpc_status, xrpl.grpc.method -> method, etc.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-05-13 16:27:55 +01:00

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# Architecture Analysis
> **Parent Document**: [OpenTelemetryPlan.md](./OpenTelemetryPlan.md)
> **Related**: [Design Decisions](./02-design-decisions.md) | [Implementation Strategy](./03-implementation-strategy.md)
---
## 1.1 Current xrpld Architecture Overview
> **WS** = WebSocket | **UNL** = Unique Node List | **TxQ** = Transaction Queue | **StatsD** = Statistics Daemon
The xrpld node software consists of several interconnected components that need instrumentation for distributed tracing:
```mermaid
flowchart TB
subgraph xrpld["xrpld Node"]
subgraph services["Core Services"]
RPC["RPC Server<br/>(HTTP/WS/gRPC)"]
Overlay["Overlay<br/>(P2P Network)"]
Consensus["Consensus<br/>(RCLConsensus)"]
ValidatorList["ValidatorList<br/>(UNL Mgmt)"]
end
JobQueue["JobQueue<br/>(Thread Pool)"]
subgraph processing["Processing Layer"]
NetworkOPs["NetworkOPs<br/>(Tx Processing)"]
LedgerMaster["LedgerMaster<br/>(Ledger Mgmt)"]
NodeStore["NodeStore<br/>(Database)"]
InboundLedgers["InboundLedgers<br/>(Ledger Sync)"]
end
subgraph appservices["Application Services"]
PathFind["PathFinding<br/>(Payment Paths)"]
TxQ["TxQ<br/>(Fee Escalation)"]
LoadMgr["LoadManager<br/>(Fee/Load)"]
end
subgraph observability["Existing Observability"]
PerfLog["PerfLog<br/>(JSON)"]
Insight["Insight<br/>(StatsD)"]
Logging["Logging<br/>(Journal)"]
end
services --> JobQueue
JobQueue --> processing
JobQueue --> appservices
end
style xrpld fill:#424242,stroke:#212121,color:#ffffff
style services fill:#1565c0,stroke:#0d47a1,color:#ffffff
style processing fill:#2e7d32,stroke:#1b5e20,color:#ffffff
style appservices fill:#6a1b9a,stroke:#4a148c,color:#ffffff
style observability fill:#e65100,stroke:#bf360c,color:#ffffff
```
**Reading the diagram:**
- **Core Services (blue)**: The entry points into xrpld -- RPC Server handles client requests, Overlay manages peer-to-peer networking, Consensus drives agreement, and ValidatorList manages trusted validators.
- **JobQueue (center)**: The asynchronous thread pool that decouples Core Services from the Processing and Application layers. All work flows through it.
- **Processing Layer (green)**: Core business logic -- NetworkOPs processes transactions, LedgerMaster manages ledger state, NodeStore handles persistence, and InboundLedgers synchronizes missing data.
- **Application Services (purple)**: Higher-level features -- PathFinding computes payment routes, TxQ manages fee-based queuing, and LoadManager tracks server load.
- **Existing Observability (orange)**: The current monitoring stack (PerfLog, Insight, Journal logging) that OpenTelemetry will complement, not replace.
- **Arrows (Services to JobQueue to layers)**: Work originates at Core Services, is enqueued onto the JobQueue, and dispatched to Processing or Application layers for execution.
---
## 1.1.1 Actors and Actions
### Actors
| Who (Plain English) | Technical Term |
| ----------------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| Network node running XRPL software | xrpld node |
| External client submitting requests | RPC Client |
| Network neighbor sharing data | Peer (PeerImp) |
| Request handler for client queries | RPC Server (ServerHandler) |
| Command executor for specific RPC methods | RPCHandler |
| Agreement process between nodes | Consensus (RCLConsensus) |
| Transaction processing coordinator | NetworkOPs |
| Background task scheduler | JobQueue |
| Ledger state manager | LedgerMaster |
| Payment route calculator | PathFinding (Pathfinder) |
| Transaction waiting room | TxQ (Transaction Queue) |
| Fee adjustment system | LoadManager |
| Trusted validator list manager | ValidatorList |
| Protocol upgrade tracker | AmendmentTable |
| Ledger state hash tree | SHAMap |
| Persistent key-value storage | NodeStore |
### Actions
| What Happens (Plain English) | Technical Term |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| Client sends a request to a node | `rpc.request` |
| Node executes a specific RPC command | `rpc.command.*` |
| Node receives a transaction from a peer | `tx.receive` |
| Node checks if a transaction is valid | `tx.validate` |
| Node forwards a transaction to neighbors | `tx.relay` |
| Nodes agree on which transactions to include | `consensus.round` |
| Consensus progresses through phases | `consensus.phase.*` |
| Node builds a new confirmed ledger | `ledger.build` |
| Node fetches missing ledger data from peers | `ledger.acquire` |
| Node computes payment routes | `pathfind.compute` |
| Node queues a transaction for later processing | `txq.enqueue` |
| Node increases fees due to high load | `fee.escalate` |
| Node fetches the latest trusted validator list | `validator.list.fetch` |
| Node votes on a protocol amendment | `amendment.vote` |
| Node synchronizes state tree data | `shamap.sync` |
---
## 1.2 Key Components for Instrumentation
> **TxQ** = Transaction Queue | **UNL** = Unique Node List
| Component | Location | Purpose | Trace Value |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------ | -------------------------------- |
| **Overlay** | `src/xrpld/overlay/` | P2P communication | Message propagation timing |
| **PeerImp** | `src/xrpld/overlay/detail/PeerImp.cpp` | Individual peer handling | Per-peer latency |
| **RCLConsensus** | `src/xrpld/app/consensus/RCLConsensus.cpp` | Consensus algorithm | Round timing, phase analysis |
| **NetworkOPs** | `src/xrpld/app/misc/NetworkOPs.cpp` | Transaction processing | Tx lifecycle tracking |
| **ServerHandler** | `src/xrpld/rpc/detail/ServerHandler.cpp` | RPC entry point | Request latency |
| **RPCHandler** | `src/xrpld/rpc/detail/RPCHandler.cpp` | Command execution | Per-command timing |
| **JobQueue** | `src/xrpl/core/JobQueue.h` | Async task execution | Queue wait times |
| **PathFinding** | `src/xrpld/app/paths/` | Payment path computation | Path latency, cache hits |
| **TxQ** | `src/xrpld/app/misc/TxQ.cpp` | Transaction queue/fees | Queue depth, eviction rates |
| **LoadManager** | `src/xrpld/app/main/LoadManager.cpp` | Fee escalation/load | Fee levels, load factors |
| **InboundLedgers** | `src/xrpld/app/ledger/InboundLedgers.cpp` | Ledger acquisition | Sync time, peer reliability |
| **ValidatorList** | `src/xrpld/app/misc/ValidatorList.cpp` | UNL management | List freshness, fetch failures |
| **AmendmentTable** | `src/xrpld/app/misc/AmendmentTable.cpp` | Protocol amendments | Voting status, activation events |
| **SHAMap** | `src/xrpld/shamap/` | State hash tree | Sync speed, missing nodes |
---
## 1.3 Transaction Flow Diagram
Transaction flow spans multiple nodes in the network. Each node creates linked spans to form a distributed trace:
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
participant Client
participant PeerA as Peer A (Receive)
participant PeerB as Peer B (Relay)
participant PeerC as Peer C (Validate)
Client->>PeerA: 1. Submit TX
rect rgb(230, 245, 255)
Note over PeerA: tx.receive SPAN START
PeerA->>PeerA: HashRouter Deduplication
PeerA->>PeerA: tx.validate (child span)
end
PeerA->>PeerB: 2. Relay TX (with trace ctx)
rect rgb(230, 245, 255)
Note over PeerB: tx.receive (linked span)
end
PeerB->>PeerC: 3. Relay TX
rect rgb(230, 245, 255)
Note over PeerC: tx.receive (linked span)
PeerC->>PeerC: tx.process
end
Note over Client,PeerC: DISTRIBUTED TRACE (same trace_id: abc123)
```
**Reading the diagram:**
- **Client**: The external entity that submits a transaction to Peer A. It has no trace context -- the trace starts at the first node.
- **Peer A (Receive)**: The entry node that creates the root span `tx.receive`, runs HashRouter deduplication to avoid processing duplicates, and creates a child `tx.validate` span.
- **Peer A to Peer B arrow**: The relay message carries trace context (trace_id + parent span_id), enabling Peer B to create a linked span under the same trace.
- **Peer B (Relay)**: Receives the transaction and trace context, creates a `tx.receive` span linked to Peer A's trace, then relays onward.
- **Peer C (Validate)**: Final hop in this example. Creates a linked `tx.receive` span and runs `tx.process` to fully process the transaction.
- **Blue rectangles**: Highlight the span boundaries on each node, showing where instrumentation creates and closes spans.
### Trace Structure
```
trace_id: abc123
├── span: tx.receive (Peer A)
│ ├── span: tx.validate
│ └── span: tx.relay
├── span: tx.receive (Peer B) [parent: Peer A]
│ └── span: tx.relay
└── span: tx.receive (Peer C) [parent: Peer B]
└── span: tx.process
```
---
## 1.4 Consensus Round Flow
Consensus rounds are multi-phase operations that benefit significantly from tracing:
```mermaid
flowchart TB
subgraph round["consensus.round (root span)"]
attrs["Attributes:<br/>xrpl.consensus.ledger.seq = 12345678<br/>xrpl.consensus.mode = proposing<br/>xrpl.consensus.proposers = 35"]
subgraph open["consensus.phase.open"]
open_desc["Duration: ~3s<br/>Waiting for transactions"]
end
subgraph establish["consensus.phase.establish"]
est_attrs["proposals_received = 28<br/>disputes_resolved = 3"]
est_children["├── consensus.proposal.receive (×28)<br/>├── consensus.proposal.send (×1)<br/>└── consensus.dispute.resolve (×3)"]
end
subgraph accept["consensus.phase.accept"]
acc_attrs["transactions_applied = 150<br/>ledger.hash = DEF456..."]
acc_children["├── ledger.build<br/>└── ledger.validate"]
end
attrs --> open
open --> establish
establish --> accept
end
style round fill:#f57f17,stroke:#e65100,color:#ffffff
style open fill:#1565c0,stroke:#0d47a1,color:#ffffff
style establish fill:#2e7d32,stroke:#1b5e20,color:#ffffff
style accept fill:#c2185b,stroke:#880e4f,color:#ffffff
```
**Reading the diagram:**
- **consensus.round (orange, root span)**: The top-level span encompassing the entire consensus round, with attributes like ledger sequence, mode, and proposer count.
- **consensus.phase.open (blue)**: The first phase where the node waits (~3s) to collect incoming transactions before proposing.
- **consensus.phase.establish (green)**: The negotiation phase where validators exchange proposals, resolve disputes, and converge on a transaction set. Child spans track each proposal received/sent and each dispute resolved.
- **consensus.phase.accept (pink)**: The final phase where the agreed transaction set is applied, a new ledger is built, and the ledger is validated. Child spans cover `ledger.build` and `ledger.validate`.
- **Arrows (open to establish to accept)**: The sequential flow through the three consensus phases. Each phase must complete before the next begins.
---
## 1.5 RPC Request Flow
> **WS** = WebSocket
RPC requests support W3C Trace Context headers for distributed tracing across services:
```mermaid
flowchart TB
subgraph request["rpc.request (root span)"]
http["HTTP Request — POST /<br/>traceparent:<br/>00-abc123...-def456...-01"]
attrs["Attributes:<br/>http.method = POST<br/>net.peer.ip = 192.168.1.100<br/>command = submit"]
subgraph enqueue["jobqueue.enqueue"]
job_attr["xrpl.job.type = jtCLIENT_RPC"]
end
subgraph command["rpc.command.submit"]
cmd_attrs["version = 2<br/>rpc_role = user"]
cmd_children["├── tx.deserialize<br/>├── tx.validate_local<br/>└── tx.submit_to_network"]
end
response["Response: 200 OK<br/>Duration: 45ms"]
http --> attrs
attrs --> enqueue
enqueue --> command
command --> response
end
style request fill:#2e7d32,stroke:#1b5e20,color:#ffffff
style enqueue fill:#1565c0,stroke:#0d47a1,color:#ffffff
style command fill:#e65100,stroke:#bf360c,color:#ffffff
```
**Reading the diagram:**
- **rpc.request (green, root span)**: The outermost span representing the full RPC request lifecycle, from HTTP receipt to response. Carries the W3C `traceparent` header for distributed tracing.
- **HTTP Request node**: Shows the incoming POST request with its `traceparent` header and extracted attributes (method, peer IP, command name).
- **jobqueue.enqueue (blue)**: The span covering the asynchronous handoff from the RPC thread to the JobQueue worker thread. The trace context is preserved across this async boundary.
- **rpc.command.submit (orange)**: The span for the actual command execution, with child spans for deserialization, local validation, and network submission.
- **Response node**: The final output with HTTP status and total duration, marking the end of the root span.
- **Arrows (top to bottom)**: The sequential processing pipeline -- receive request, extract attributes, enqueue job, execute command, return response.
---
## 1.6 Key Trace Points
> **TxQ** = Transaction Queue
The following table identifies priority instrumentation points across the codebase:
| Category | Span Name | File | Method | Priority |
| --------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------- | -------- |
| **Transaction** | `tx.receive` | `PeerImp.cpp` | `handleTransaction()` | High |
| **Transaction** | `tx.validate` | `NetworkOPs.cpp` | `processTransaction()` | High |
| **Transaction** | `tx.process` | `NetworkOPs.cpp` | `doTransactionSync()` | High |
| **Transaction** | `tx.relay` | `OverlayImpl.cpp` | `relay()` | Medium |
| **Consensus** | `consensus.round` | `RCLConsensus.cpp` | `startRound()` | High |
| **Consensus** | `consensus.phase.*` | `Consensus.h` | `timerEntry()` | High |
| **Consensus** | `consensus.proposal.*` | `RCLConsensus.cpp` | `peerProposal()` | Medium |
| **RPC** | `rpc.request` | `ServerHandler.cpp` | `onRequest()` | High |
| **RPC** | `rpc.command.*` | `RPCHandler.cpp` | `doCommand()` | High |
| **Peer** | `peer.connect` | `OverlayImpl.cpp` | `onHandoff()` | Low |
| **Peer** | `peer.message.*` | `PeerImp.cpp` | `onMessage()` | Low |
| **Ledger** | `ledger.acquire` | `InboundLedgers.cpp` | `acquire()` | Medium |
| **Ledger** | `ledger.build` | `RCLConsensus.cpp` | `buildLCL()` | High |
| **PathFinding** | `pathfind.request` | `PathRequest.cpp` | `doUpdate()` | High |
| **PathFinding** | `pathfind.compute` | `Pathfinder.cpp` | `findPaths()` | High |
| **TxQ** | `txq.enqueue` | `TxQ.cpp` | `apply()` | High |
| **TxQ** | `txq.apply` | `TxQ.cpp` | `processClosedLedger()` | High |
| **Fee** | `fee.escalate` | `LoadManager.cpp` | `raiseLocalFee()` | Medium |
| **Ledger** | `ledger.replay` | `LedgerReplayer.h` | `replay()` | Medium |
| **Ledger** | `ledger.delta` | `LedgerDeltaAcquire.h` | `processData()` | Medium |
| **Validator** | `validator.list.fetch` | `ValidatorList.cpp` | `verify()` | Medium |
| **Validator** | `validator.manifest` | `Manifest.cpp` | `applyManifest()` | Low |
| **Amendment** | `amendment.vote` | `AmendmentTable.cpp` | `doVoting()` | Low |
| **SHAMap** | `shamap.sync` | `SHAMap.cpp` | `fetchRoot()` | Medium |
---
## 1.7 Instrumentation Priority
> **TxQ** = Transaction Queue
```mermaid
quadrantChart
title Instrumentation Priority Matrix
x-axis Low Complexity --> High Complexity
y-axis Low Value --> High Value
quadrant-1 Implement First
quadrant-2 Plan Carefully
quadrant-3 Quick Wins
quadrant-4 Consider Later
RPC Tracing: [0.2, 0.92]
Transaction Tracing: [0.55, 0.88]
Consensus Tracing: [0.78, 0.82]
PathFinding: [0.38, 0.75]
TxQ and Fees: [0.25, 0.65]
Ledger Sync: [0.62, 0.58]
Peer Message Tracing: [0.35, 0.25]
JobQueue Tracing: [0.2, 0.48]
Validator Mgmt: [0.48, 0.42]
Amendment Tracking: [0.15, 0.32]
SHAMap Operations: [0.72, 0.45]
```
---
## 1.8 Observable Outcomes
> **TxQ** = Transaction Queue | **UNL** = Unique Node List
After implementing OpenTelemetry, operators and developers will gain visibility into the following:
### 1.8.1 What You Will See: Traces
| Trace Type | Description | Example Query in Grafana/Tempo |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| **Transaction Lifecycle** | Full journey from RPC submission through validation, relay, consensus, and ledger inclusion | `{service.name="xrpld" && xrpl.tx.hash="ABC123..."}` |
| **Cross-Node Propagation** | Transaction path across multiple xrpld nodes with timing | `{xrpl.tx.relay_count > 0}` |
| **Consensus Rounds** | Complete round with all phases (open, establish, accept) | `{span.name=~"consensus.round.*"}` |
| **RPC Request Processing** | Individual command execution with timing breakdown | `{command="account_info"}` |
| **Ledger Acquisition** | Peer-to-peer ledger data requests and responses | `{span.name="ledger.acquire"}` |
| **PathFinding Latency** | Path computation time and cache effectiveness for payment RPCs | `{span.name="pathfind.compute"}` |
| **TxQ Behavior** | Queue depth, eviction patterns, fee escalation during congestion | `{span.name=~"txq.*"}` |
| **Ledger Sync** | Full acquisition timeline including delta and transaction fetches | `{span.name=~"ledger.acquire.*"}` |
| **Validator Health** | UNL fetch success, manifest updates, stale list detection | `{span.name=~"validator.*"}` |
### 1.8.2 What You Will See: Metrics (Derived from Traces)
| Metric | Description | Dashboard Panel |
| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| **RPC Latency (p50/p95/p99)** | Response time distribution per command | Heatmap by command |
| **Transaction Throughput** | Transactions processed per second | Time series graph |
| **Consensus Round Duration** | Time to complete consensus phases | Histogram |
| **Cross-Node Latency** | Time for transaction to reach N nodes | Line chart with percentiles |
| **Error Rate** | Failed transactions/RPC calls by type | Stacked bar chart |
| **PathFinding Latency** | Path computation time per currency pair | Heatmap by currency |
| **TxQ Depth** | Queued transactions over time | Time series with thresholds |
| **Fee Escalation Level** | Current fee multiplier | Gauge with alert thresholds |
| **Ledger Sync Duration** | Time to acquire missing ledgers | Histogram |
### 1.8.3 Concrete Dashboard Examples
**Transaction Trace View (Tempo):**
```
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Trace: abc123... (Transaction Submission) Duration: 847ms │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ├── rpc.request [ServerHandler] ████░░░░░░ 45ms │
│ │ └── rpc.command.submit [RPCHandler] ████░░░░░░ 42ms │
│ │ └── tx.receive [NetworkOPs] ███░░░░░░░ 35ms │
│ │ ├── tx.validate [TxQ] █░░░░░░░░░ 8ms │
│ │ └── tx.relay [Overlay] ██░░░░░░░░ 15ms │
│ │ ├── tx.receive [Node-B] █████░░░░░ 52ms │
│ │ │ └── tx.relay [Node-B] ██░░░░░░░░ 18ms │
│ │ └── tx.receive [Node-C] ██████░░░░ 65ms │
│ └── consensus.round [RCLConsensus] ████████░░ 720ms │
│ ├── consensus.phase.open ██░░░░░░░░ 180ms │
│ ├── consensus.phase.establish █████░░░░░ 480ms │
│ └── consensus.phase.accept █░░░░░░░░░ 60ms │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
**RPC Performance Dashboard Panel:**
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ RPC Command Latency (Last 1 Hour) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Command │ p50 │ p95 │ p99 │ Errors │ Rate │
│──────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼──────│
│ account_info │ 12ms │ 45ms │ 89ms │ 0.1% │ 150/s│
│ submit │ 35ms │ 120ms │ 250ms │ 2.3% │ 45/s│
│ ledger │ 8ms │ 25ms │ 55ms │ 0.0% │ 80/s│
│ tx │ 15ms │ 50ms │ 100ms │ 0.5% │ 60/s│
│ server_info │ 5ms │ 12ms │ 20ms │ 0.0% │ 200/s│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
**Consensus Health Dashboard Panel:**
```mermaid
---
config:
xyChart:
width: 1200
height: 400
plotReservedSpacePercent: 50
chartOrientation: vertical
themeVariables:
xyChart:
plotColorPalette: "#3498db"
---
xychart-beta
title "Consensus Round Duration (Last 24 Hours)"
x-axis "Time of Day (Hours)" [0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24]
y-axis "Duration (seconds)" 1 --> 5
line [2.1, 2.4, 2.8, 3.2, 3.8, 4.3, 4.5, 5.0, 4.7, 4.0, 3.2, 2.6, 2.0]
```
### 1.8.4 Operator Actionable Insights
| Scenario | What You'll See | Action |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| **Slow RPC** | Span showing which phase is slow (parsing, execution, serialization) | Optimize specific code path |
| **Transaction Stuck** | Trace stops at validation; error attribute shows reason | Fix transaction parameters |
| **Consensus Delay** | Phase.establish taking too long; proposer attribute shows missing validators | Investigate network connectivity |
| **Memory Spike** | Large batch of spans correlating with memory increase | Tune batch_size or sampling |
| **Network Partition** | Traces missing cross-node links for specific peer | Check peer connectivity |
| **Path Computation Slow** | pathfind.compute span shows high latency; cache miss rate in attributes | Warm the RippleLineCache, check order book depth |
| **TxQ Full** | txq.enqueue spans show evictions; fee.escalate spans increasing | Monitor fee levels, alert operators |
| **Ledger Sync Stalled** | ledger.acquire spans timing out; peer reliability attributes show issues | Check peer connectivity, add trusted peers |
| **UNL Stale** | validator.list.fetch spans failing; last_update attribute aging | Verify validator site URLs, check DNS |
### 1.8.5 Developer Debugging Workflow
1. **Find Transaction**: Query by `xrpl.tx.hash` to get full trace
2. **Identify Bottleneck**: Look at span durations to find slowest component
3. **Check Attributes**: Review `xrpl.tx.validity`, `rpc_status` for errors
4. **Correlate Logs**: Use `trace_id` to find related PerfLog entries
5. **Compare Nodes**: Filter by `service.instance.id` to compare behavior across nodes
---
_Next: [Design Decisions](./02-design-decisions.md)_ | _Back to: [Overview](./OpenTelemetryPlan.md)_