Correlation IDs from Edge to Worker: Debugging Distributed Failures Faster

Correlation IDs from Edge to Worker: Debugging Distributed Failures Faster

Without a shared request ID, logs across API, queue, and worker cannot be stitched together quickly. Correlation IDs turn scattered logs into one timeline.

Step 1: generate or accept correlation ID at API edge

const cid = req.header('x-correlation-id') || crypto.randomUUID()
res.setHeader('x-correlation-id', cid)

Step 2: propagate ID in async payloads

{
  "job": "publish_post",
  "correlation_id": "2f3a...",
  "post_id": 1417
}

Step 3: include ID in every structured log line

logger.info({ cid, step: 'worker.start', jobId })

Pitfall

Generating a new ID in every service hop. You lose end-to-end traceability.

Verification

• One ID links edge request, queue event, and worker execution.
• Incident triage finds root cause in one log query.
• Missing ID paths trigger alerts.