---
title: "Migration"
source: OpenTelemetry Documentation
source_url: https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry.io
licence: CC-BY-4.0
domain: engineering
subdomain: opentelemetry-docs
date_added: 2026-04-25
---

## OpenTracing and OpenCensus

OpenTelemetry was created as a merger of OpenTracing and OpenCensus. From the
start, OpenTelemetry was considered [to be the next major version of both
OpenTracing and OpenCensus][]. Because of that, one of the [key goals][] of the
OpenTelemetry project is to provide backward compatibility with both projects
and a migration story for existing users.

If you come from one of these projects, you can follow the migration guides for
both [OpenTracing](opentracing/) and [OpenCensus](opencensus/)

## Jaeger Client

The [Jaeger community](https://www.jaegertracing.io/) deprecated their client
libraries and recommends
[migrating](https://www.jaegertracing.io/docs/latest/migration/) to the
OpenTelemetry APIs, SDKs and instrumentations.

The Jaeger backend can receive trace data using the OpenTelemetry Protocol
(OTLP) since v1.35. You can migrate your OpenTelemetry SDKs and Collectors from
the Jaeger exporter to the OTLP exporter.

[to be the next major version of both OpenTracing and OpenCensus]:
  https://www.cncf.io/blog/2019/05/21/a-brief-history-of-opentelemetry-so-far/
[key goals]:
  https://medium.com/opentracing/merging-opentracing-and-opencensus-f0fe9c7ca6f0
