This talk was presented at Grafana&Friends Kathmandu.

Meet our speaker! 🎤

We’re excited to welcome Imma Valls Bernaus, Staff Developer Advocate at Grafana Labs.

She will be presenting “Not Just Code: My First OpenTelemetry Contribution and Your Hands-On Guide to Open Source,” the story of her own first contribution, and a practical guide to making yours.

If you’ve ever looked at an open source project and wondered where to even begin, this one is for you.

📅 Sunday, Aug 2
⏰ 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (NPT)
📍 Online: Google Meet

Social

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/grafana-opentelemetry-opensource-share-7487919920211451905-CqdX/
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/imma-valls_grafana-opentelemetry-opensource-activity-7488481005889052672-MLhC

First time hosting the Grafana OpenTelemetry Community Calls, with a preparation checklist available here.

Recording

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/grafana-friends-virtual-meetup-group/events/315676803

We’re back with the new Grafana ❤️‍🔥OpenTelemetry Community Call!

In this episode of the Grafana OTel Community Call, we’re exploring OpenTelemetry eBPF Instrumentation (OBI). OpenTelemetry eBPF Instrumentation (OBI) offers a powerful way to instrument applications at the system kernel level, capturing essential “RED metrics” — request rate, error rate, and duration — and network flows without requiring code changes, rebuilds, or redeployments.

We will cover the project’s architecture, discuss its origins as Grafana Beyla, and look ahead to the roadmap for language and runtime coverage.

Guests:

• Mario Macías
• Nikola Grcevski

Hosts:

• Imma Valls

This event will be livestreamed on YouTube and published on the same link after the fact: https://www.youtube.com/live/VEFn_ljZhCw?si=UU1x7yA46C_kZuRL

Join the conversation, bring your questions, and learn how this project is evolving with contributions from across the community.

Social:

• https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7483045252992331776/

RSVP: https://grafana.com/go/webinar/mastering-code-based-instrumentation-with-opentelemetry-and-grafana/

A practical guide to code-based OpenTelemetry instrumentation with Grafana

Building on our popular “Intro to OpenTelemetry” webinar, we are excited to present you with this webinar focused on advanced OpenTelemetry instrumentation techniques and the innovative use cases it unlocks.

In this live demo and Q&A, Grafana Labs experts will show how to add custom spans, metrics, and attributes that capture the application and business context zero-code instrumentation cannot always see. You’ll learn how to apply OpenTelemetry semantic conventions, send OTLP telemetry to Grafana Cloud, and use Grafana Cloud Application Observability and Grafana dashboards to turn that data into actionable insights.

You’ll also see how richer OpenTelemetry context can support AI-assisted investigations in Grafana, helping teams correlate signals, identify likely root causes, and understand business impact.

What you’ll learn

1. Learn when to use zero-code instrumentation and when code-based instrumentation can provide deeper context.
2. See how application telemetry can reveal performance patterns and quantify business impact.
3. Visualize and analyze OpenTelemetry data with Grafana and Grafana Cloud Application Observability.
4. Learn how custom telemetry and semantic context can improve AI-assisted investigations with Grafana Assistant.

Socials

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/harrabab-singh_grafana-opentelemetry-observability-share-7487545837905158144-YeCn/?

First time preparing the Grafana OpenTelemetry Community Calls and co-hosting, with the checklist available here.

Recording

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/grafana-friends-virtual-meetup-group/events/315282232

We’re back with the new Grafana ❤️‍🔥OpenTelemetry Community Call!

OpenTelemetry has officially graduated from the CNCF! In this episode of the Grafana OTel Community Call, we are celebrating this milestone by looking back at the project’s journey, evaluating the current state of its signals, and discussing what this long-term stability means for the future. We will also explore what lies ahead on the project roadmap and where the community needs contributors next.

Guests:

• Marylia Gutierrez
• Ted Young
• Tiffany Hrabusa

Hosts:

• Nicole van der Hoeven
• Tiffany Jernigan
• Imma Valls

This event will be livestreamed on YouTube and published on the same link after the fact: https://www.youtube.com/live/P9CfVEGwcgo

Join the conversation, bring your questions, and if it sparks something for you, jump in and help us build and improve OpenTelemetry together.

Social:

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/imma-valls_opentelemetry-cncf-observability-activity-7473713941228212224-rg4-

Talk based on the blog post “Metrics, logs, traces, and mayhem: introducing an observability adventure game powered by Grafana Alloy and OTel“, at Grafana & Friends Mumbai
We’re excited to kick off 2026 with our first Grafana & Friends Mumbai meetup — and this one is online, so you can experience it from anywhere! 🚀
This session is designed to be student-friendly, beginner-focused, and community-driven, with talks centered around Grafana, observability, and real-world learning journeys.

📅 Event Details

• Date: 6th February 2026 (Friday)
• Time: 5:30 PM IST
• Mode: Online

✨ What to Expect

• Beginner-friendly Grafana talks
• Practical insights and learning-focused sessions
• Community stories and real-world use cases
• Live Q&A and interactive discussions

Whether you’re a student, early-career professional, or Grafana enthusiast, this meetup is a great place to learn, connect, and grow with the community.

📌 Speakers

🎙️ Marie Cruz — Senior Developer Advocate, Grafana Labs
Talk: Observability Made Simple: Monitoring Plants with IoT and Grafana
🎙️ Imma Valls — Staff Developer Advocate, Grafana Labs
Talk: Metrics, Logs, Traces, and Mayhem: Introducing an observability adventure game powered by Grafana Alloy and OpenTelemetry
🎙️ Sonal Gaud — Software Engineer, Accenture
Talk: Inside otelhttp: How OpenTelemetry Instruments HTTP in Go

📌 Registrations open — save your spot!

We look forward to seeing you online — let’s learn and build together! 💬

Social

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/imma-valls_observability-opentelemetry-grafana-activity-7425168547686961152-LleI
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/imma-valls_observability-opentelemetry-grafana-ugcPost-7425168546420318208-M10C
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/grafana-user-group-mumbai-50149b386_grafanaandfriendsmumbai-observibility-grafana-activity-7428363989442777088-uo9m
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/grafana-user-group-mumbai-50149b386_grafanaandfriendsmumbai-communityevent-observability-activity-7425566641847037952-es2h
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/amitabh-devops_amazing-online-meetup-by-grafana-and-friends-activity-7425542780606861313-3dUj

This talk was presented at Grafana&Friends Hyderabad.

✨ Speaker Announcement | Imma Valls Bernaus |Lightning Talk ⚡

We’re excited to announce our next speaker for Grafana & Friends Hyderabad!
🎤 Imma Valls Bernaus
Developer Advocate at Grafana Labs
Observability | Cloud Native | OpenTelemetry | Community & Diversity

Imma is passionate about making complex topics like Observability and OpenTelemetry accessible to everyone. Beyond tech, Imma is a strong advocate for inclusive communities, allyship, and creating safe spaces where underrepresented voices in tech can confidently share their knowledge.

⚡Lightning Talk
💫 Topic: “The 50+ First-Timer: My OpenTelemetry Contribution & How Your CNCF Journey Can Also Start Today” 💫

This talk is perfect for anyone who:
💥 Thinks it’s “too late” to start contributing
💥 Wants to begin their CNCF / OpenTelemetry journey
💥 Believes learning and sharing have no age or experience limits

🗓 Date: 20 December 2025
📍 Powered by: Grafana Labs
Join us to learn, get inspired, and take your first step into open source 🚀

Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbMLa-djNUE

Social

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/grafana-and-friends-hyderabad_grafanaandfriends-grafanalabs-opentelemetry-activity-7407767717883289600-hxCf
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sathpalsingh_grafanaandfriends-grafanalabs-communitybuilding-activity-7407823952397574144-N6H_?
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/grafana-and-friends-hyderabad_grafana-and-friends-hyderabad-is-rolling-activity-7407791129158623232-2J3b
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/grafana-and-friends-hyderabad_what-an-incredible-way-to-close-out-2025-activity-7408502018094526464-2L8t

Workshop based on the blog post “Metrics, logs, traces, and mayhem: introducing an observability adventure game powered by Grafana Alloy and OTel“, at Cloud Native Day Bergen 2025: https://2025.cloudnativebergen.dev/speaker/imma-valls

Workshop Instructions at https://github.com/grafana/adventure/blob/main/workshop.md

This hands-on workshop transforms learning about observability into an engaging adventure!

Step into a text-based game where you’ll master essential observability tools—metrics, logs, and traces—and discover how to leverage them effectively for real-world troubleshooting and gaining critical insights into your applications.

Powered by OpenTelemetry (OTel) and the Grafana stack, this session offers a unique, interactive environment for exploring the critical components of a robust observability strategy. You’ll gain practical experience identifying, understanding, and resolving complex system issues.

Whether you’re a developer, operator, or just curious about understanding your system’s health, you’ll leave with a solid foundation on how OpenTelemetry and core observability tools can empower you to solve complex problems confidently.

You’re also welcome to work in pairs and collaborate on your observability adventure!

Pre-requisites: Docker and Git are installed on your machine, or access to a web browser to run the workshop on a Killercoda playground

Social

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/imma-valls_meet-imma-valls-bernaus-staff-developer-activity-7373264388067258369-drEj

This talk was presented at KCD Edinburgh 2025: https://sessionize.com/view/yz0a7tia/GridSmart?format=Embed_Styled_Html&isDark=false&title=KCD%20UK%20Edinburgh%202025

Thinking about contributing to a CNCF project? Does it seem daunting, or perhaps you feel it’s too late to start at this stage in your career? You might be surprised to learn that it’s more accessible than you think!

In this session, I’ll share my journey as a first-time contributor to OpenTelemetry, providing a roadmap from initial interest to a successful contribution. You’ll gain practical tips on finding the right project and those good first-time issues. We’ll explore the crucial role of mentorship, especially for individuals from underrepresented groups, and how the supportive OpenTelemetry community can guide you through the process.

I aim to inspire you – whether you’re from an underrepresented background or believe your chance to contribute has passed – to take the plunge and discover the rewarding world of open source. You’ll leave with actionable insights and the confidence to begin your own contribution journey.

Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG4voNqdn4M&feature=youtu.be

Social

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/imma-valls_kcdedinburgh-opentelemetry-cncf-activity-7380851897492144128-nRFL
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paulalkennedy_kubernetes-cloudnative-kcduk-activity-7386636082529968129-wpAk

Workshop based on the blog post “Metrics, logs, traces, and mayhem: introducing an observability adventure game powered by Grafana Alloy and OTel“, at OpenFest Sofia 2025: https://cfp.openfest.org/openfest-2025/talk/MN3STV/

This hands-on workshop transforms learning about observability into an engaging adventure!

Step into a text-based game where you’ll master essential observability tools—metrics, logs, and traces—and discover how to leverage them effectively for real-world troubleshooting and gaining critical insights into your applications.

Powered by OpenTelemetry (OTel) and the Grafana stack, this session offers a unique, interactive environment for exploring the critical components of a robust observability strategy. You’ll gain practical experience identifying, understanding, and resolving complex system issues.

Whether you’re a developer, operator, or just curious about understanding your system’s health, you’ll leave with a solid foundation on how OpenTelemetry and core observability tools can empower you to solve complex problems confidently.

You’re also welcome to work in pairs and collaborate on your observability adventure!

Pre-requisites: Docker and Git are installed on your machine, or access to a web browser to run the workshop on a Killercoda playground

Social

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/imma-valls_openfest-sofia-grafana-activity-7381248181063290880-sr30
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/imma-valls_openfest-grafana-opensource-activity-7386719844689395712-qWhP

Clément Duveau created this OpenTelemetry workshop, and I delivered it as a talk at Cloud Native Barcelona.

A brief introduction to OpenTelemetry, with a practical example of auto-instrumenting a Java web application with the Grafana stack (Loki, Grafana, Tempo, and Mimir).

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/cloud-native-bcn/events/307621031

Killercoda workshop: https://killercoda.com/clement/scenario/opentelemetry-instrumentation-demo

Killercoda Github repo: https://github.com/clementduveau/killercoda/

Social

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cloud-native-barcelona_cloud-native-barcelona-opentelemetry-1-activity-7335301232485384192-rt6u
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cloud-native-barcelona_opentelemetry-cloudnative-cncf-activity-7340702343362928641-llCK