What component allows spans to be linked to their parent trace?

The component that allows spans to be linked to their parent trace is referred to as span context. Span context contains critical information that helps maintain the relationship between spans and traces in distributed systems. This includes details such as the trace ID, span ID, and the parent span ID. By carrying this metadata, span context enables monitoring tools like Dynatrace to visualize and analyze the flow of requests across different services, ensuring that the execution path of transactions is accurately represented.

This is vital in troubleshooting and performance analysis, as understanding the hierarchical relationship between spans and traces provides insights into where delays or issues may occur. Thus, span context plays a crucial role in maintaining the structure needed for effective performance monitoring in distributed systems.