Blog post for OpenCensus compatibility deprecation

Author: Krishna Chaitanya KC

content/en/blog/2026/deprecating-opencensus-compatibility.md

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+---
+title: Deprecating OpenCensus compatibility requirements
+linkTitle: Deprecating OpenCensus compatibility
+date: 2026-06-23
+author:
+  '[Krishna Chaitanya Kalluri](https://github.com/Krishnachaitanyakc) (Meta)'
+issue: https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-specification/pull/5138
+sig: Specification
+cSpell:ignore: Chaitanya Kalluri Krishna
+---
+
+On June 12, 2026, the OpenTelemetry Specification project merged
+[PR #5138](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-specification/pull/5138),
+deprecating OpenCensus compatibility requirements in the specification.
+
+This change updates the specification to match where the ecosystem already is:
+[OpenCensus has been archived since July 31, 2023](/blog/2023/sunsetting-opencensus/),
+and the OpenTelemetry shims for OpenCensus have provided a stable migration
+bridge for more than three years.
+
+This is a deprecation of specification requirements, not an immediate removal of
+compatibility material and not a requirement to remove existing shim artifacts
+right away.
+
+## What is changing?
+
+- OpenCensus compatibility requirements in the specification are deprecated.
+- Implementing new OpenCensus compatibility is no longer required for new SDKs
+  or implementations.
+- Existing OpenCensus shims MAY continue to be supported for backwards
+  compatibility during the deprecation period.
+- New work should target native OpenTelemetry APIs, SDKs, and OTLP-based
+  workflows instead of introducing new OpenCensus dependencies.
+
+## Why now?
+
+OpenCensus was archived in July 2023, and ecosystem adoption has converged
+around native OpenTelemetry APIs and OTLP-based workflows. The project also has
+precedent for this staged approach from prior deprecation work, including the
+[2023 sunset of OpenCensus repositories](/blog/2023/sunsetting-opencensus/), the
+[Zipkin exporter deprecation](/blog/2025/deprecating-zipkin-exporters/)
+([spec PR #4715](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-specification/pull/4715)),
+and the
+[OpenTracing compatibility deprecation](/blog/2026/deprecating-opentracing-compatibility/)
+([spec PR #4938](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-specification/pull/4938)).
+
+## Timeline and policy
+
+- **Specification deprecation**: effective as of **June 2026**.
+- **Earliest specification removal**: **no earlier than June 2027**, as stated
+  in the merged spec text.
+- **Shim support**: existing OpenCensus shims will continue to receive
+  maintenance for at least one year, following
+  [OpenTelemetry's SDK stability guarantees](/docs/specs/otel/versioning-and-stability/#sdk-support).
+
+## What should users do?
+
+If you still depend on an OpenCensus shim, now is the right time to plan
+migration to native OpenTelemetry APIs and SDKs.
+
+Start by reviewing:
+
+- [How to migrate to OpenTelemetry](/blog/2023/sunsetting-opencensus/#how-to-migrate-to-opentelemetry)
+  from the 2023 sunset announcement.
+- The
+  [OpenCensus Compatibility specification — Migration path](/docs/specs/otel/compatibility/opencensus/#migration-path).
+- The language-specific shims:
+  [Go](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-go/tree/928d4f3726bf08e5be046752ebae169ad9f9376a/bridge/opencensus),
+  [Java](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java/tree/a5cd87f127cd8d4e5845bc1e29360f815a6f01c8/opencensus-shim),
+  [JavaScript](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-js/tree/13a035bc695996cf4aec885fef7b9866f48bc555/experimental/packages/shim-opencensus),
+  and
+  [Python](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/tree/51c1d1888c4045b8296e088fa307738685321bf3/shim/opentelemetry-opencensus-shim).
+
+## Closing
+
+Deprecation here does not mean removing OpenCensus compatibility material
+immediately. It is about codifying that new SDKs and instrumentations should
+target native OpenTelemetry APIs and OTLP, and aligning the specification with
+where the ecosystem already is.
+
+Please share feedback or migration blockers on
+[spec PR #5138](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-specification/pull/5138)
+or the
+[originating issue #5109](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-specification/issues/5109).