Wraps the default Django SMTP Email Backend with trace instrumentation to the OpenTelemetry.

Description

This small package provides a wrapper for the default django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend adapter to provide better tracing instrumentation for OpenTelemetry.

Dependencies

• django >= 4.2
• opentelemetry-api

Usage

Installation

Install, from PyPI, using your package manager:

pip install django-otel-smtp-backend

Configuration

Change the EMAIL_BACKEND field on settings.py file:

EMAIL_BACKEND = "django_otel_smtp_backend.backend.EmailBackend"
EMAIL_HOST = ...
EMAIL_USE_TLS = ...
EMAIL_PORT = ...
EMAIL_USE_SSL = ...
EMAIL_HOST_USER = ...
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = ...

The configuration of OpenTelemetry is not a subject of this readme.

OpenTelemetry

The traces captured from the EmailBackend is structured as shown below (the times was taken from a real example):

  - send_messages (2.89s)
  | - open (1.55s)
  | - send_message_item (1.17s)
  | - close (168.43ms)

The send_messages() method from the BaseEmailBackend receives various e-mails and, in SMTP backend, send one by one using a for-iterator (reference). The send_messages span is opened when the send_messages() method is called, the open span is opened when the connection is opened and close span is opened when the connection is closed. The send_message_item span is opened when each e-mail is sent using the SMTP connection.

Span Attributes

send_messages

attribute	description
raised	indicate if the send_messages() method raises a exception.
stack	stack trace of the raised exception (when raised=True).

open

attribute	description
connection_already_open	indicate if the connection is already opened when open() is called.
connection_opened	indicate if the connection is opened.
fail_silently	indicate if the used value of fail_silently property.
raised	indicate if the open() method raises a exception.
stack	stack trace of the raised exception (when raised=True).

send_message_item

attribute	description
from_email	the origin email.
recipients	the destination email's.
sent	indicate if the email is sent.
raised	indicate if the method raises a exception.
stack	stack trace of the raised exception (when raised=True).

close

attribute	description
has_connection	indicate if the connection is opened when call close().
raised	indicate if the open() method raises a exception.
stack	stack trace of the raised exception (when raised=True).