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# Semantic Conventions for Tracing Compatibility Components

**Status**: [Experimental][DocumentStatus]

This document defines trace semantic conventions used by the
compatibility components, e.g. OpenTracing Shim layer.

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- [OpenTracing](#opentracing)

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## OpenTracing

`Link`s created by the OpenTracing Shim MUST set `opentracing.ref_type`
with one of the accepted values, describing the direct causal relationships
between a child Span and a parent Span, as defined by
[OpenTracing](https://github.com/opentracing/specification/blob/master/specification.md).

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| Attribute  | Type | Description  | Examples  | [Requirement Level](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/specs/semconv/general/attribute-requirement-level/) | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [`opentracing.ref_type`](/docs/attributes-registry/opentracing.md) | string | Parent-child Reference type [1] | `child_of`; `follows_from` | `Recommended` | ![Experimental](https://img.shields.io/badge/-experimental-blue) |

**[1]:** The causal relationship between a child Span and a parent Span.



`opentracing.ref_type` has the following list of well-known values. If one of them applies, then the respective value MUST be used; otherwise, a custom value MAY be used.

| Value  | Description | Stability |
|---|---|---|
| `child_of` | The parent Span depends on the child Span in some capacity | ![Experimental](https://img.shields.io/badge/-experimental-blue) |
| `follows_from` | The parent Span doesn't depend in any way on the result of the child Span | ![Experimental](https://img.shields.io/badge/-experimental-blue) |



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[DocumentStatus]: https://opentelemetry.io/docs/specs/otel/document-status
