What is TextMap?

TextMap is a general term referring to data structures or formats used to store and transmit textual data as key-value pairs. Think of it as a dictionary or hashmap where both keys and values are strings. It's commonly used for passing contextual information, configuration settings, or metadata between different components of a system or across different services. Examples include HTTP headers (where headers are keys and their values are the associated values), logging contexts (adding structured data to log messages), or tracing contexts (propagating trace IDs and other metadata across service boundaries). The specific implementation and use cases can vary widely depending on the context.