# Enable Message Tracing for a Destination

The `trace` property on a destination specifies that trace entries are generated for that destination.

The trace property can optionally be specified as `trace=body`. Setting trace=body includes the message body in trace messages. The EMS server prints up to one kilobyte of a message string field, and up to a total message size of 8 KB. The trace message indicates if the full message is not printed.

Setting `trace` without the `body` option specifies that only the message sequence and message ID are included in the trace message.

When message tracing is enabled for a destination, a trace entry is output for each of the following events that occur in message processing:

- messages are received into a destination
- messages are sent to consumers
- messages are imported or exported to/from an external system
- messages are acknowledged
- messages are sent across a destination bridge
- messages are routed

Replies to request messages are traced only when the reply destination has the `trace` property. Similarly, replies to exported messages are only traced when the `trace` property is set.

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