diff --git a/containerd-shim-v2/service.go b/containerd-shim-v2/service.go
index 6912851361..8f81e08d3a 100644
--- a/containerd-shim-v2/service.go
+++ b/containerd-shim-v2/service.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containerd/typeurl"
 	ptypes "github.com/gogo/protobuf/types"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
+	opentracing "github.com/opentracing/opentracing-go"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
@@ -72,6 +73,21 @@ func New(ctx context.Context, id string, publisher events.Publisher) (cdshim.Shi
 	vci.SetLogger(ctx, logger)
 	katautils.SetLogger(ctx, logger, logger.Logger.Level)
 
+	// load runtime config so that tracing can start if enabled
+	_, runtimeConfig, err := katautils.LoadConfiguration("", false, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// create tracer
+	_, err = katautils.CreateTracer("kata")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	// create span
+	span, ctx := trace(ctx, "New")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(ctx)
 
 	s := &service{
@@ -79,6 +95,7 @@ func New(ctx context.Context, id string, publisher events.Publisher) (cdshim.Shi
 		pid:        uint32(os.Getpid()),
 		ctx:        ctx,
 		containers: make(map[string]*container),
+		config:     &runtimeConfig,
 		events:     make(chan interface{}, chSize),
 		ec:         make(chan exit, bufferSize),
 		cancel:     cancel,
@@ -161,6 +178,13 @@ func newCommand(ctx context.Context, containerdBinary, id, containerdAddress str
 // StartShim willl start a kata shimv2 daemon which will implemented the
 // ShimV2 APIs such as create/start/update etc containers.
 func (s *service) StartShim(ctx context.Context, id, containerdBinary, containerdAddress string) (string, error) {
+	// Stop tracing here since a new tracer will be created the next time New()
+	// is called again after StartShim()
+	defer katautils.StopTracing(s.ctx)
+
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "StartShim")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	bundlePath, err := os.Getwd()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
@@ -274,7 +298,22 @@ func getTopic(e interface{}) string {
 	return cdruntime.TaskUnknownTopic
 }
 
+func trace(ctx context.Context, name string) (opentracing.Span, context.Context) {
+	if ctx == nil {
+		logrus.WithField("type", "bug").Error("trace called before context set")
+		ctx = context.Background()
+	}
+
+	span, ctx := opentracing.StartSpanFromContext(ctx, name)
+	span.SetTag("source", "runtime")
+
+	return span, ctx
+}
+
 func (s *service) Cleanup(ctx context.Context) (_ *taskAPI.DeleteResponse, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Cleanup")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	//Since the binary cleanup will return the DeleteResponse from stdout to
 	//containerd, thus we must make sure there is no any outputs in stdout except
 	//the returned response, thus here redirect the log to stderr in case there's
@@ -330,6 +369,9 @@ func (s *service) Cleanup(ctx context.Context) (_ *taskAPI.DeleteResponse, err e
 
 // Create a new sandbox or container with the underlying OCI runtime
 func (s *service) Create(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.CreateTaskRequest) (_ *taskAPI.CreateTaskResponse, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Create")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -381,6 +423,9 @@ func (s *service) Create(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.CreateTaskRequest) (_ *
 
 // Start a process
 func (s *service) Start(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.StartRequest) (_ *taskAPI.StartResponse, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Start")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -427,6 +472,9 @@ func (s *service) Start(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.StartRequest) (_ *taskAP
 
 // Delete the initial process and container
 func (s *service) Delete(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.DeleteRequest) (_ *taskAPI.DeleteResponse, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Delete")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -474,6 +522,9 @@ func (s *service) Delete(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.DeleteRequest) (_ *task
 
 // Exec an additional process inside the container
 func (s *service) Exec(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ExecProcessRequest) (_ *ptypes.Empty, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Exec")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -507,6 +558,9 @@ func (s *service) Exec(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ExecProcessRequest) (_ *p
 
 // ResizePty of a process
 func (s *service) ResizePty(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ResizePtyRequest) (_ *ptypes.Empty, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "ResizePty")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -541,6 +595,9 @@ func (s *service) ResizePty(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ResizePtyRequest) (_
 
 // State returns runtime state information for a process
 func (s *service) State(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.StateRequest) (_ *taskAPI.StateResponse, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "State")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -584,11 +641,13 @@ func (s *service) State(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.StateRequest) (_ *taskAP
 		Terminal:   execs.tty.terminal,
 		ExitStatus: uint32(execs.exitCode),
 	}, nil
-
 }
 
 // Pause the container
 func (s *service) Pause(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.PauseRequest) (_ *ptypes.Empty, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Pause")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -623,6 +682,9 @@ func (s *service) Pause(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.PauseRequest) (_ *ptypes
 
 // Resume the container
 func (s *service) Resume(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ResumeRequest) (_ *ptypes.Empty, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Resume")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -655,6 +717,9 @@ func (s *service) Resume(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ResumeRequest) (_ *ptyp
 
 // Kill a process with the provided signal
 func (s *service) Kill(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.KillRequest) (_ *ptypes.Empty, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Kill")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -707,6 +772,9 @@ func (s *service) Kill(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.KillRequest) (_ *ptypes.E
 // Since for kata, it cannot get the process's pid from VM,
 // thus only return the Shim's pid directly.
 func (s *service) Pids(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.PidsRequest) (_ *taskAPI.PidsResponse, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Pids")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	var processes []*task.ProcessInfo
 
 	defer func() {
@@ -725,6 +793,9 @@ func (s *service) Pids(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.PidsRequest) (_ *taskAPI.
 
 // CloseIO of a process
 func (s *service) CloseIO(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.CloseIORequest) (_ *ptypes.Empty, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "CloseIO")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -761,6 +832,9 @@ func (s *service) CloseIO(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.CloseIORequest) (_ *pt
 
 // Checkpoint the container
 func (s *service) Checkpoint(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.CheckpointTaskRequest) (_ *ptypes.Empty, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Checkpoint")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -770,6 +844,9 @@ func (s *service) Checkpoint(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.CheckpointTaskReque
 
 // Connect returns shim information such as the shim's pid
 func (s *service) Connect(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ConnectRequest) (_ *taskAPI.ConnectResponse, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Connect")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -785,6 +862,8 @@ func (s *service) Connect(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ConnectRequest) (_ *ta
 }
 
 func (s *service) Shutdown(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ShutdownRequest) (_ *ptypes.Empty, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Shutdown")
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -796,6 +875,9 @@ func (s *service) Shutdown(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ShutdownRequest) (_ *
 	}
 	s.mu.Unlock()
 
+	span.Finish()
+	katautils.StopTracing(s.ctx)
+
 	s.cancel()
 
 	os.Exit(0)
@@ -806,6 +888,9 @@ func (s *service) Shutdown(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.ShutdownRequest) (_ *
 }
 
 func (s *service) Stats(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.StatsRequest) (_ *taskAPI.StatsResponse, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Stats")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -830,6 +915,9 @@ func (s *service) Stats(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.StatsRequest) (_ *taskAP
 
 // Update a running container
 func (s *service) Update(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.UpdateTaskRequest) (_ *ptypes.Empty, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Update")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	defer func() {
 		err = toGRPC(err)
 	}()
@@ -857,6 +945,9 @@ func (s *service) Update(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.UpdateTaskRequest) (_ *
 
 // Wait for a process to exit
 func (s *service) Wait(ctx context.Context, r *taskAPI.WaitRequest) (_ *taskAPI.WaitResponse, err error) {
+	span, _ := trace(s.ctx, "Wait")
+	defer span.Finish()
+
 	var ret uint32
 
 	defer func() {