opentelemetry-propagator-b3
OpenTelemetry B3 Propagator
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Install this if you need B3 trace propagation in an OpenTelemetry-instrumented application or are integrating with systems that use B3 headers. Low install friction, active maintenance, no security vulnerabilities, and permissive licensing make it a straightforward choice for distributed tracing scenarios.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later; opentelemetry-api must be installed and configured with appropriate SDK and instrumentations for tracing to function.
- Low friction install with minimal dependencies.
- Actively maintained with a recent release (29 days old) and backed by the OpenTelemetry project's established infrastructure.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache-2.0 (permissive) — Apache-2.0 permissive license allows free use, modification, and distribution in both open and closed-source projects without copyleft obligations.
last release 2026-07-16 (29 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 2,588 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 4,792,404 downloads/mo, #2,229 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install opentelemetry-propagator-b3
from opentelemetry.propagators.b3 import B3Format
from opentelemetry import trace
# B3Format is registered and used by OpenTelemetry instrumentations
# to inject/extract trace context in B3 format- Whether B3 single-header format is supported in addition to multi-header format
- Performance characteristics when propagating traces at high throughput
- Compatibility with non-OpenTelemetry B3 implementations
What it is and what it does
This package provides a B3 propagator for OpenTelemetry Python, implementing the B3 trace context format used by distributed tracing systems. It handles the serialization and deserialization of trace identifiers and sampling decisions into HTTP headers or other carrier formats, allowing trace context to flow across service boundaries in microservice architectures.
The propagator integrates with the OpenTelemetry API and is designed to be used alongside the OpenTelemetry SDK and instrumentation packages. It depends only on opentelemetry-api and typing-extensions, keeping the installation lightweight. The package is production-stable, supports Python 3.10 through 3.14, and receives regular maintenance from the OpenTelemetry project.
Use it for
- Propagate trace context in HTTP requests between microservices using B3 headers
- Integrate legacy B3-instrumented systems with OpenTelemetry observability pipelines
- Extract trace IDs and sampling decisions from incoming B3-formatted requests in service handlers
- Enable correlation of logs and metrics across services that use B3 trace propagation
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Install this if you need B3 trace propagation in an OpenTelemetry-instrumented application or are integrating with systems that use B3 headers. Low install friction, active maintenance, no security vulnerabilities, and permissive licensing make it a straightforward choice for distributed tracing scenarios.
Install
opentelemetry-propagator-b3 on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with minimal dependencies. Actively maintained with a recent release (29 days old) and backed by the OpenTelemetry project's established infrastructure.
Requires Python 3.10 or later; opentelemetry-api must be installed and configured with appropriate SDK and instrumentations for tracing to function.
License in practice
Apache-2.0 permissive license allows free use, modification, and distribution in both open and closed-source projects without copyleft obligations.
Quickstart
pip install opentelemetry-propagator-b3
from opentelemetry.propagators.b3 import B3Format
from opentelemetry import trace
# B3Format is registered and used by OpenTelemetry instrumentations
# to inject/extract trace context in B3 formatVerify before relying
- Whether B3 single-header format is supported in addition to multi-header format
- Performance characteristics when propagating traces at high throughput
- Compatibility with non-OpenTelemetry B3 implementations
Package facts
| License | Apache-2.0 permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesopentelemetry-apityping-extensions |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 29 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 4,792,404 / month, #2,229 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableFramework :: OpenTelemetryIntended Audience :: DevelopersProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Typing :: Typed |
Evidence: opentelemetry_propagator_b3-1.44.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also opentelemetry-propagator-jaeger · opentelemetry-propagator-ot-trace · opentelemetry-propagator-aws-xray · opentelemetry-propagator-gcp · opentelemetry-instrumentation-django · opentelemetry-instrumentation-boto · uptrace · azure-core-tracing-opentelemetry