---
title: Serverless API X-Ray tracing disabled
description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring.
breadcrumbs: >-
  Docs > Datadog Security > Code Security > Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
  Security > IaC Security Rules > Serverless API X-Ray tracing disabled
---

# Serverless API X-Ray tracing disabled

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## Metadata{% #metadata %}

**Id:** `cloudformation-aws-serverless-api-xray-tracing-disabled` 

**Provider:** AWS

**Platform:** CloudFormation

**Severity:** Medium

**Category:** Observability

#### Learn More{% #learn-more %}

- [Provider Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/serverless-application-model/latest/developerguide/sam-resource-api.html#sam-api-tracingenabled)

### Description{% #description %}

Serverless APIs should have AWS X-Ray tracing enabled to capture distributed traces for requests, which helps diagnose performance issues and investigate security incidents or anomalous application behavior. The `TracingEnabled` property on `AWS::Serverless::Api` resources must be defined and set to `true`. Resources with `TracingEnabled` missing, `null`, or set to `false` will be flagged.

Secure configuration example:

```yaml
MyServerlessApi:
  Type: AWS::Serverless::Api
  Properties:
    Name: MyApi
    StageName: prod
    TracingEnabled: true
```

## Compliant Code Examples{% #compliant-code-examples %}

```yaml
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Transform: AWS::Serverless-2016-10-31
Description: AWS SAM template with a simple API definition
Resources:
  ApiGatewayApi3:
    Type: AWS::Serverless::Api
    Properties:
      StageName: prod
      TracingEnabled: true
```

## Non-Compliant Code Examples{% #non-compliant-code-examples %}

```yaml
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Transform: AWS::Serverless-2016-10-31
Description: AWS SAM template with a simple API definition
Resources:
  ApiGatewayApi:
    Type: AWS::Serverless::Api
    Properties:
      StageName: prod
```

```yaml
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Transform: AWS::Serverless-2016-10-31
Description: AWS SAM template with a simple API definition
Resources:
  ApiGatewayApi2:
    Type: AWS::Serverless::Api
    Properties:
      StageName: prod
      TracingEnabled: false
```