Deprecating OpenCensus compatibility requirements

By Krishna Chaitanya Kalluri (Meta) |

On June 12, 2026, the OpenTelemetry Specification project merged PR #5138, deprecating OpenCensus compatibility requirements in the specification.

This change updates the specification to match where the ecosystem already is: OpenCensus has been archived since July 31, 2023, and the OpenTelemetry shims for OpenCensus have provided a stable migration bridge for more than three years.

This is a deprecation of specification requirements, not an immediate removal of compatibility material and not a requirement to remove existing shim artifacts right away.

What is changing?

  • OpenCensus compatibility requirements in the specification are deprecated.
  • Implementing new OpenCensus compatibility is no longer required for new SDKs or implementations.
  • Existing OpenCensus shims MAY continue to be supported for backwards compatibility during the deprecation period.
  • New work should target native OpenTelemetry APIs, SDKs, and OTLP-based workflows instead of introducing new OpenCensus dependencies.

Why now?

OpenCensus was archived in July 2023, and ecosystem adoption has converged around native OpenTelemetry APIs and OTLP-based workflows. The project also has precedent for this staged approach from prior deprecation work, including the 2023 sunset of OpenCensus repositories, the Zipkin exporter deprecation (spec PR #4715), and the OpenTracing compatibility deprecation (spec PR #4938).

Timeline and policy

  • Specification deprecation: effective as of June 2026.
  • Earliest specification removal: no earlier than June 2027, as stated in the merged spec text.
  • Shim support: existing OpenCensus shims will continue to receive maintenance for at least one year, following OpenTelemetry’s SDK stability guarantees.

What should users do?

If you still depend on an OpenCensus shim, now is the right time to plan migration to native OpenTelemetry APIs and SDKs.

Start by reviewing:

Closing

Deprecation here does not mean removing OpenCensus compatibility material immediately. It is about codifying that new SDKs and instrumentations should target native OpenTelemetry APIs and OTLP, and aligning the specification with where the ecosystem already is.

Please share feedback or migration blockers on spec PR #5138 or the originating issue #5109.

Last modified June 19, 2026: Blog post for OpenCensus compatibility deprecation (#10381) (f501dbdd)