Taming Cardinality

Every label value creates a new time series, and series are what you pay for in memory, storage and dollars. This explainer shows how cardinality grows, where it hurts, and the techniques that keep it in check. Step through each diagram with the buttons or your arrow keys, then use the 30-second answer, the gotchas and the quiz to make it stick.

Based on the Prometheus and OpenTelemetry documentation and vendor docs where noted; each chapter links to its sources.