Beyond 200 OK: What Happens to Your API Responses After They Leave Your Server
Most observability talks focus on the server because that’s where the tooling is mature. However, for a growing number of applications, the API consumer isn't a browser on a fiber connection, it’s a mid-range mobile device on a train, switching cell towers. When things break there, your server-side monitoring won't tell you a thing.
This session covers the practical side of extending observability beyond the server. We will explore:
- Real-world examples where valid JSON caused Mobile App crashes or payloads were too heavy for low-memory devices in developing markets.
- How to deal with handling thousands of OS combinations, "store-and-forward" telemetry for offline-first apps and clients killed by the OS mid-request.
- Closing the Loop: The practical implementation of Distributed Tracing. We’ll discuss the current state of OpenTelemetry (OTel) for Mobile, and where vendor SDKs still fill the gaps and do a better job.
- How can we manage a transition from uptime monitoring to smooth sessions for your users: Redefining SLOs to connect backend reliability targets to actual user experience, while keeping telemetry costs under control.
This isn’t a talk about learning mobile development; it’s a talk about knowing whether the APIs you build are actually delivering a good experience.
Jignesh Patel
Kai Koenig
