Why is observability a critical feature in Envoy?

Observability is indeed a critical feature in Envoy because it allows tracking of performance and operational status. In modern distributed systems, where multiple services interact, understanding how each component behaves and how they impact one another is essential for maintaining system health and performance. Envoy provides detailed insights into traffic patterns, latency, error rates, and other operational metrics through its built-in observability features like tracing, logging, and metrics collection.

This capability enables developers and operators to diagnose issues quickly, understand system behavior under load, and make informed decisions based on real-time data. By providing this level of visibility, Envoy helps organizations ensure their services are running optimally, improving overall reliability and performance.

The other options do not accurately represent the role of observability in Envoy. Simplifying the codebase, ensuring compliance, or eliminating the need for logging services do not capture the primary function of observability, which focuses on monitoring and understanding system states effectively.