[GitHub Discussions] Telemetry & Dashboard documentation gaps

Summary

Based on analysis of 820 GitHub discussions from dotnet/aspire.

Question counts:

Topic	Questions
Dashboard	88 total
Dashboard in Production	15+
OpenTelemetry Config	20+
Logging	15+
Metrics	10+

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Gaps in Existing Docs

1. ⚠️ Dashboard in Production (15+ questions)

Docs exist: standalone-aspire-dashboard Γ£à covers:

• Docker run command with port mapping
• OTLP port configuration (4317 ΓåÆ 18889)
• Login token retrieval from logs
• OpenTelemetry SDK configuration (OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT)
• Limitations: in-memory only, no persistence, no GitHub Copilot

Explicit warning in doc: "The dashboard is designed as a development and short-term diagnostic tool"

Discussions still asking about:

• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/12933: Dashboard In Production
• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/10243: Dashboard via Kubernetes Ingress
• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/9353: Dashboard Error 404 on Azure
• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/8277: Dashboard Behind a Proxy

What's missing from standalone-aspire-dashboard:

• Production deployment patterns (when appropriate)
• Dashboard behind proxy/ingress (nginx, K8s ingress)
• Azure-specific deployment troubleshooting
• Persistent telemetry alternatives (Azure Monitor, etc.)

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2. ⚠️ Custom OTEL Configuration (20+ questions)

Docs exist: telemetry, standalone-aspire-dashboard Γ£à cover basics

Discussions still asking about:

• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/13707: Dynamically generate prometheus configuration
• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/12338: OTLP exporter failures silently swallowed
• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/10405: Java OTel Agent configuration
• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/10043: Pull-based logs and metrics
• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/9470: Connect existing OTEL config to AppHost collector
• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/9167: Consume 3rd party metrics

What's missing:

• Custom OTEL collector configuration (config.yaml examples)
• Third-party metrics integration
• Pull-based metrics patterns (Prometheus scrape)
• Java/JVM OTEL configuration
• OTEL exporter error handling/visibility

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3. ⚠️ Logging Configuration

Discussions:

• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/12503: Excessive logging from Azure Functions
• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/9406: Logging with scopes
• https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/discussions/9164: Redirect logs to console window

What's missing:

• Log filtering/reduction patterns
• Scoped logging configuration
• Azure Functions logging noise reduction

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Data Source

• GitHub Discussions: 820 total
• Telemetry-related: 88 discussions
• Date range: Project inception - February 2026
• Verified against: aspire-list_docs (9 dashboard/telemetry docs), aspire-get_doc for detailed review