Execution context search

An execution is one run of work in your application. For an API service, an execution is usually one HTTP request. For a worker job, it is one BeginExecution scope that you mark in code. For a MassTransit consumer, it is one consumed message, when Foveus instrumentation is configured. Foveus does not detect scheduler, cron or Hangfire jobs as executions. Foveus uses executions to show what happened, when it happened, how long it took, and what evidence was captured.

Why executions matter

Logs tell you what was written. Metrics tell you what changed. Traces show request flow. Executions show the actual unit of work you need to inspect. An execution can include:

service name
endpoint or operation
request context
response context
duration
status
logs
failure details
linked issue, if Foveus grouped it into one

Execution examples

An HTTP API request:

GET /orders/ord_12345

Outbound HttpClient calls, consumed MassTransit messages (when instrumented) and BeginExecution scopes are also recorded as executions. See Executions.

What Foveus captures

The exact data depends on your SDK configuration and service type. A typical HTTP execution can include:

Field	Description
`service`	The service that produced the execution.
`environment`	The deployment label from `Environment`, such as `staging` or `production`. Defaults to `test` or `live`, from the key.
`mode`	`test` or `live`, decided by the API key prefix.
`endpoint`	The HTTP path or operation name.
`method`	The HTTP method, such as `GET` or `POST`.
`duration`	How long the execution took.
`status`	`success`, `degraded` or `failed`.
`context`	Safe request, response, query, or custom context fields.
`logs`	Logs correlated to the execution, if configured.
`issue`	The issue linked to the execution, if Foveus grouped it.

Service name

Foveus uses the service name to group executions by logical service. If you do not set ServiceName, Foveus uses your project assembly name. You can override it in configuration:

{
  "Foveus": {
    "ApiKey": "fov_test_...",
    "ServiceName": "orders-api"
  }
}

builder.Services.AddFoveus(builder.Configuration);

Use a stable logical service name.

orders-api
payments-api
identity-api

Avoid putting the environment inside the service name.

orders-api-production
orders-api-staging
orders-api-dev

Instead, keep the service name stable and use Environment.

{
  "Foveus": {
    "ApiKey": "fov_live_...",
    "ServiceName": "orders-api",
    "Environment": "production"
  }
}

Environment

Use Environment as a free-text label for where the service is running. When you do not set it, it is test or live, taken from the API key. It is not the ASP.NET Core environment. Examples:

development
test
staging
production

This helps you separate the same service across deployments.

service:orders-api environment:production

Mode

Foveus has two modes:

Mode	Key prefix	Use for
`test`	`fov_test_`	Sandbox, development, QA, and onboarding
`live`	`fov_live_`	Production telemetry

The API key decides the mode. There is no separate mode setting. A live key sends to Live mode:

{
  "Foveus": {
    "ApiKey": "fov_live_...",
    "ServiceName": "orders-api",
    "Environment": "production"
  }
}

Status

An execution has one of these statuses:

Status	Meaning
`success`	The execution completed successfully.
`degraded`	The execution returned a 4xx response, or a job was cancelled.
`failed`	The execution returned a 5xx response, threw or logged an exception, or was marked failed.

Context

Execution context is structured data captured from the request, response, query string, or custom context. By default, context is captured for every failed request and for 1% of successful requests (ContextSamplingRate is 0.01). Response bodies are not captured unless you enable CaptureResponseBodies. A successful request whose context was not sampled cannot be found by context search. For example:

{
  "customerId": "cus_12345",
  "orderStatus": {
    "value": 1,
    "label": "Confirmed"
  }
}

You can search indexed context fields:

service:orders-api context:customerId="cus_12345"

Search nested fields with dotted paths:

service:orders-api context:orderStatus.value=1

Strings should use quotes. Numbers and booleans do not need quotes.

Execution Context Search uses indexed execution context. It does not scan arbitrary raw request bodies.

Linked logs

If logging is configured, Foveus can show logs related to an execution. This helps you inspect the log lines that occurred during the same unit of work instead of searching through unrelated log streams.

Linked issues

Foveus can group failed executions into issues. An issue is an observed recurring failure pattern, grouped by failure signature. It describes what was observed; it is not a confirmed root cause. For example, several failed executions on the same endpoint may become one issue.

HTTP 500 in orders-api

Open the issue to see:

failure pattern
representative execution
linked executions
recent activity
lifecycle
comments and activity history

Search executions

The Executions page is query-first because execution data can be high-volume. Common searches:

service:orders-api

service:orders-api method:POST endpoint:/orders

service:orders-api status:failed

service:orders-api context:customerId="cus_12345"

service:orders-api context:orderStatus.value=1

For best performance and precision, start with a service filter when searching by context.

When to use executions

Use executions when you need to:

investigate a support complaint
find a request by customer ID or request ID
inspect request and response context
inspect the evidence for a failed request
move from an issue to the exact failed execution
correlate logs with a unit of work

What to do next

View your first execution: View your first execution
Search by context: Execution Context Search
Learn about issues: Issues
Investigate a user complaint: Investigate a user complaint

Start here

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Core concepts

Guides

SDK

Security and data

API reference

Execution context search

Why executions matter

Execution examples

What Foveus captures

Service name

Environment

Mode

Status

Context

Linked logs

Linked issues

Search executions

When to use executions

What to do next