Registry / observability / zipkin-instrumentation-express

zipkin-instrumentation-express

library0.22.0jsnpmunverified

Express middleware for distributed tracing with Zipkin.js. Version 0.22.0 is current stable, released as part of the openzipkin/zipkin-js monorepo with irregular release cadence. This package provides middleware that creates Zipkin spans for incoming HTTP requests to Express applications, automatically recording timing, tags, and annotations. Key differentiators: minimal configuration, tight integration with Zipkin's B3 propagation headers, support for custom sampler and tracer configurations. Suitable for Node.js Express apps requiring observability via Zipkin. Note: Not actively maintained (last release 0.22.0).

observability web-framework

npm install zipkin-instrumentation-express

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · ZIPKIN-INSTRUMENTA

zipkin-instrumentation-express

observabilityjavascriptv0.22.0

Install

—

Import

—

Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

expressMiddleware

✓ import { expressMiddleware } from 'zipkin-instrumentation-express'

✗ const expressMiddleware = require('zipkin-instrumentation-express')

ESM and CommonJS both supported; TypeScript types included.

expressMiddleware (default)

✓ import expressMiddleware from 'zipkin-instrumentation-express'

✗ import { expressMiddleware as default } from 'zipkin-instrumentation-express'

Package has a default export as well as named export; both work.

Sets up Zipkin tracing middleware for Express app using batch recorder and HTTP transport.

import { Tracer, BatchRecorder, jsonEncoder } from 'zipkin'; import { HttpLogger } from 'zipkin-transport-http'; import { expressMiddleware } from 'zipkin-instrumentation-express'; import express from 'express'; const tracer = new Tracer({ recorder: new BatchRecorder({ logger: new HttpLogger({ endpoint: process.env.ZIPKIN_ENDPOINT || 'http://localhost:9411/api/v2/spans', jsonEncoder: jsonEncoder.JSON_V2 }) }), localServiceName: 'my-service' }); const app = express(); app.use(expressMiddleware({ tracer })); app.get('/', (req, res) => res.send('Hello tracing!')); app.listen(3000);

Debug

Known issues

deprecatedRequire-style import of zipkin modules may break in future versions; prefer ESM imports.

fix

Use import instead of require() for all zipkin packages.

affects: >=0.22.0

gotchaexpressMiddleware must be added before route handlers to trace all requests.

fix

Ensure the middleware is applied before app.get(), app.post(), etc.

affects: >=0.16.0

gotchaTracer's localServiceName must be set; otherwise, spans may be missing service name.

fix

Provide localServiceName when creating Tracer instance.

affects: >=0.19.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: Must be valid TraceId instance

Incorrect or missing tracer configuration leads to invalid Zipkin trace IDs.

fix

Ensure Tracer is initialized with a valid sampler and recorder.

TypeError: Cannot destructure property 'tracer' of 'undefined' or 'null'

expressMiddleware() called without options object or missing tracer property.

fix

Call expressMiddleware({ tracer }) where tracer is a valid Zipkin Tracer instance.

Upgrade

Version history

0.22.0latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

zipkinrequiredCore Zipkin library required for tracer creation

expressrequiredPeer dependency for instrumentation to work with Express app

Agent activity

47 hits · last 30 days

node

Anthropic

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/openzipkin/zipkin-js ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/zipkin-instrumentation-express ↗