> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/observability/tracing-service/overview/tracing-pipelines.md).

# Tracing Pipelines

A tracing pipeline is an instance of the Tracing Service that provides authenticated ingestion endpoints for your traces.

When you create a tracing pipeline, you select the pipeline name and ingestion protocol. The service then provisions protocol-specific ingestion details and returns metadata such as:

* A unique pipeline ID
* Pipeline state and timestamps
* A trace ingestion key
* A protocol-specific trace endpoint
* A `grafanaEndpoint` for trace exploration

## Regional API endpoint

To create and manage tracing pipeline instances, send requests to the regional Tracing Service API endpoint.

Example regional endpoint:

* Berlin: `https://tracing.de-txl.ionos.com/pipelines`
* Frankfurt: `https://tracing.de-fra.ionos.com/pipelines`
* London: `https://tracing.gb-lhr.ionos.com/pipelines`
* Worcester: `https://tracing.gb-bhx.ionos.com/pipelines`
* Paris: `https://tracing.fr-par.ionos.com/pipelines`
* Logroño: `https://tracing.es-vit.ionos.com/pipelines`
* Lenexa: `https://tracing.us-mci.ionos.com/pipelines`
* Las Vegas: `https://tracing.us-las.ionos.com/pipelines`
* Newark: `https://tracing.us-ewr.ionos.com/pipelines`

## Pipeline protocols

Each tracing pipeline is configured with one ingestion protocol:

* `otlp-http`
* `otlp-grpc`

The selected protocol determines the endpoint shape exporters use for ingestion.

## Access control

Non-admin users need the **Access and manage Tracing** privilege to create, update, rotate keys for, or delete tracing pipelines.

## Contract limitations

There is a maximum number of tracing pipelines you can create per contract. The default value is 10. If you need a higher limit, contact [<mark style="color:blue;">IONOS CLOUD Support</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/support/general-information/contact-information) team to discuss your specific requirements and adjust the limits accordingly.


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