Deprecating OpenTracing compatibility requirements
On March 19, 2026, the OpenTelemetry Specification project merged PR #4938, deprecating OpenTracing compatibility requirements in the specification.
This change updates the specification to match where the ecosystem already is: OpenTracing has been archived for years, and new integrations are expected to use native OpenTelemetry APIs and SDKs instead of building on OpenTracing shim requirements.
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?
- OpenTracing compatibility requirements in the specification are deprecated.
- Implementing new OpenTracing compatibility is no longer required for new SDKs or implementations.
- Existing OpenTracing shims can 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 OpenTracing dependencies.
Why now?
OpenTracing itself has been archived for years, and ecosystem adoption has converged around native OpenTelemetry APIs and OTLP-based workflows.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, such as Zipkin exporter deprecation in PR #4715.
Timeline and policy
- Specification deprecation: effective as of March 2026.
- Earliest specification removal: no earlier than March 2027, as stated in the merged spec text.
What should users do?
If you still depend on an OpenTracing shim, now is the right time to plan migration to native OpenTelemetry APIs and SDKs.
Start by reviewing: