Dash0 Raises $110M Series B at $1B Valuation

Last updated: May 7, 2026

Container and Host Resources

Resource equality rules and naming conventions for Docker containers and host systems.

This page documents how Dash0 identifies and names container and host resources using OpenTelemetry semantic conventions.

Note

These rules apply to containers running outside of Kubernetes. For Kubernetes pods, see Kubernetes Resources.

Container Equality Rules

Containers running outside Kubernetes are identified by their container ID or name.

For containers not running on Kubernetes (e.g., Docker Desktop), see container semantic conventions:

  • By Container ID: container.id
  • By Container Name (lower priority): container.name
Note

container.name has significantly lower precedence than container.id and comes after service triplet equality. If both container.id and service attributes are present, the service triplet takes precedence. Always prefer container.id for reliable container identification.

Container Naming Rules

Container names are derived from either the container name attribute or container ID as a fallback.

ConditionName
container.id or container.name set (non-K8s)Container name preferred, or ID

Container Typing Rules

Container types are assigned based on the presence of container attributes.

ConditionTypeUI Label
container.id setcontainerContainer
container.name set (fallback)containerContainer

Host Equality Rules

Hosts are identified by their host ID, with host name as a lower-priority fallback.

For host-level monitoring, see host semantic conventions:

  • By Host ID: host.id
  • By Host Name (lowest priority): host.name
Note

host.id has higher precedence than host.name because hostnames are often misconfigured in containerized environments. The host.name equality rule has the lowest precedence of all resource equality rules, placed below even service fallback.

Host Naming Rules

Host names prefer the host ID for stability, falling back to host name when ID is unavailable.

ConditionName
host.id or host.name setHost ID preferred, or host name

Host Typing Rules

Host types are assigned based on the presence of host attributes.

ConditionTypeUI Label
host.id sethostHost
host.name set (fallback)hostHost

Best Practices

  • Set container.id for unique container identification across restarts
  • Use host.id as a stable identifier (e.g., machine ID or cloud instance ID)
  • Include host.name for human-readable host identification
  • Use resource detectors to automatically populate container and host attributes
Tip

For host-level monitoring, prefer host.id over host.name as the primary identifier, since host.id remains stable even if the hostname changes.

Further Reading

For more information on resource equality and container/host configurations, explore the following resources.

Dash0 Guides & Knowledge

OpenTelemetry Resources