AWS Open Distro for OpenTelemetry

Getting Started with the OTLP Exporters

An exporter is a component in the OpenTelemetry Collector configured to send data to different systems/back-ends. Different exporters converts OpenTelemetry protocol (OTLP) formatted data to their respective predefined back-end format and exports this data to be interpreted by the back-end or system.

OTLP Protocol

The OpenTelemetry Protocol (OTLP) defines the encoding, transport, and delivery mechanism of telemetry data between telemetry sources, intermediate processes such as collectors and telemetry backends. OTLP is a protocol based on requests and responses, for example the client sends requests and the server corresponds with responses. OTLP is currently implemented over two types of transport systems, gRPC and HTTP, specifying the Protocol Buffers schema (protobuf) used for the payloads. The protobuf schema of the messages is the same for OTLP/HTTP and OTLP/gRPC.

OTLP/HTTP

The OTLP implementation transport system over HTTP uses protobuf payloads either in binary format or JSON. OTLP/HTTP uses HTTP POST requests to send telemetry data from clients to servers. Implementations may use HTTP/1.1 or HTTP/2 transports, if an HTTP/2 connection cannot be established it should fallback to HTTP/1.1 transport.

OTLP/gRPC

OTLP/gRPC sends telemetry data with unary requests in ExportTraceServiceRequest for traces, ExportMetricsServiceRequest for metrics, ExportLogsServiceRequest for logs. The language independent interface types for these mentioned pipeline data can be found here. The client will continuously send sequences of requests to the server and expects to receive a response with each request. You can learn more about the OTLP protocol here.

Setting up A Monitoring Backend

OpenTelemetry can export traces, logs, and metrics to various backends to analyze in order to understand an application’s performance and behavior. There are multiple monitoring backends (also known as end-points) which can support OpenTelemetry using the OTLP protocol.

In this section, we share getting started configurations to the Collector to export telemetry data to AppDynamics, Honeycomb, Lightstep, New Relic, and SumoLogic end-points.

Prerequisites

For using any backends supported by OpenTelemetry, make sure you have set up the Collector.

AppDynamics

AppDynamics supports OpenTelemetry by ingesting OTLP directly, so users of the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry (ADOT) can send tracing data directly to AppDynamics without the need for additional plugins or non-OTLP exporters.

Requirements

Before you can use the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry with the AppDynamics endpoint, you need:

You need AppDynamics SaaS Controller >= v21.2.0.
You need to be admitted to the AppDynamics OpenTelemetry private beta program.

Configuration (Collector)

The configuration takes place in the OTLP exporter in the Collector config YAML file.

Set the OTLP endpoint through the OTLP HTTP Exporter. To configure your AppDynamics Controller to work with the AWS OTel Collector, edit your otel-config.yml configuration file.
Set the AppDynamics API key <x-api-key> (Your AppDynamics API key must be defined as an HTTP header. To obtain your unique x-api-key, you should work closely with your AppDynamics account team.)
Use resource attributes to add your AppDynamics account information:
- appdynamics.controller.account: Your AppDynamics Controller account name.
- appdynamics.controller.host: your AppDynamics Controller host name.
- appdynamics.controller.port: your AppDynamics Controller port number.
- service.name your AppDynamics tier name. trace resource attribute for every service being monitored.
- service.namespace: your AppDynamics application name. Set corresponding service.namespace trace resource attribute for every service being monitored.

For custom attributes, see Ingest OpenTelemetry Trace Data

Example

processors:
  resource:
    attributes:
    - key: appdynamics.controller.account
      action: upsert
      value: "acme"
    - key: appdynamics.controller.host
      action: upsert
      value: "acme.saas.appdynamics.com"
    - key: appdynamics.controller.port
      action: upsert
      value: 443
  batch:
    timeout: 30s
    send_batch_size: 8192
receivers:
  otlp:
    protocols:
      grpc:
        endpoint: localhost:55680
      http:
        endpoint: localhost:55681
exporters:
  otlphttp:
    endpoint: "https://pdx-sls-agent-api.saas.appdynamics.com"
    headers: {"x-api-key": "****************"}
service:
  pipelines:
    traces:
      receivers: [otlp]
      processors: [resource, batch]
      exporters: [otlphttp]

Grafana Labs

Grafana Cloud Agent

The Grafana Cloud Agent is an all-in-one agent for collecting metrics, logs, and traces, built on top of production-ready open source software. The batteries-included nature removes the need to install more than one piece of software by including common integrations for monitoring out of the box. Through our native integrations with OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, and OpenMetrics, we ensure full compatibility with the complete CNCF ecosystem while adding extra functionality for scaling collection.

Requirements

Dependencies:

OpenTelemetry-Collector
Prometheus
Cortex
Loki

Runtime requirements:

ETCD or Consul for scaling functionality

Configuration

Create a YAML configuration file with the following contents to configure the Agent to collect metrics a Prometheus- or OpenMetrics-compatible endpoint:

1prometheus:
2  # Configures where scraped metric data will be stored. Data read from this
3  # directory will be forwarded using the configured remote_write settings.
4  # this directory
5  wal_directory: /tmp/agent
6  configs:
7    # An invidiual config here identifies a single Prometheus instance. Each
8    # instance holds its own set of scrape jobs and remote_write settings. The
9    # name specified here must be unique.
10    - name: primary
11      scrape_configs:
12        # A job is responsible for discovering a set of targets to scrape.
13        # static_configs specifies a static list of host:port pairs to use
14        # as targets. Replace "host:port" below with the hostname and port
15        # number of the OpenMetrics-compatible endpoint to collect metrics
16        # from.
17        - job_name: collect
18          static_configs:
19            - targets: ['host:port']
20      # remote_write configures where to send metrics using the Prometheus
21      # Remote Write format. If authentication is used, replace USERNAME and
22      # password accordingly. Otherwise, omit the basic_auth block.
23      remote_write:
24        - url: REMOTE_WRITE_URL
25          basic_auth:
26            username: USERNAME
27            password: PASSWORD

Integrations may be enabled to also collect metrics from common systems. Add the following block to your configuration file:

1integrations:
2  # Enable the "node_exporter" integration, which runs
3  # https://github.com/prometheus/node_exporter in-process and scrapes metrics
4  # from it.
5  node_exporter:
6    enabled: true
7  # Configured identically to remote_write from the previous section. This
8  # section must exist if integrations are used.
9  prometheus_remote_write:
10    - url: REMOTE_WRITE_URL
11      basic_auth:
12        username: USERNAME
13        password: PASSWORD

Log support may be added by adding a loki block. Use the following code block to collect all log files from /var/log:

1loki:
2  positions:
3    # Configures where to store byte offsets of recently read files.
4    filename: /tmp/positions.yaml
5  clients:
6    # Configures the location to send logs using the Loki write API.
7    # If authentication is not needed, omit the basic_auth block.
8    - url: LOKI_URL
9      basic_auth:
10        username: USERNAME
11        password: PASSWORD
12  scrape_configs:
13  # Configures a scrape job to find log files to collect from. Targets
14  # must be set to localhost.
15  #
16  # __path__ may be set to any glob-patterned filepath where log files are
17  # stored.
18  - job_name: varlogs
19    static_configs:
20      - targets:
21        - localhost
22        labels:
23          __path__: /var/log/*log

Support for collecting traces may be added with a tempo block. Use the following code block to collect spans and forward them to an OTLP-compatible endpoint:

1tempo:
2  receivers:
3    # Configure jaeger support. grpc supports spans over port
4    # 14250, thrift_binary over 6832, thrift_compact over 6831,
5    # and thrift_http over 14268. Specific port numbers may be
6    # customized within the config for the protocol.
7    jaeger:
8      protocols:
9        grpc:
10        thrift_binary:
11        thrift_compact:
12        thrift_http:
13    # Configure opencensus support. Spans can be sent over port 55678
14    # by default.
15    opencensus:
16    # Configure otlp support. Spans can be sent to port 55680 by
17    # default.
18    otlp:
19      protocols:
20        grpc:
21        http:
22    # Configure zipkin support. Spans can be sent to port 9411 by
23    # default.
24    zipkin:
25
26  # Configures where to send collected spans and traces. Outgoing spans are sent
27  # in the OTLP format. Replace OTLP_ENDPOINT with the host:port of the target
28  # OTLP-compatible host. If the OTLP endpoint uses authentication, configure
29  # USERNAME and PASSWORD accordingly. Otherwise, omit the basic_auth section.
30  push_config:
31    endpoint: OTLP_ENDPOINT
32    basic_auth:
33      username: USERNAME
34      password: PASSWORD

A full configuration reference is located in the Grafana Cloud Agent code repository

Honeycomb

Honeycomb supports OpenTelemetry by ingesting OTLP directly, so users of the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry (ADOT) can send tracing data directly to Honeycomb without the need for additional plugins or non-OTLP exporters.

Requirements

Before you can use the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry with the Honeycomb end-point, you need:

You will need a Honeycomb account, if you don’t currently have one you can sign up here.
In your Honeycomb account, choose a name for your dataset and use your API key.

Configuration (Collector)

The configuration will take place in the OTLP exporter in the Collector config YAML file.

Set the OTLP endpoint to api.honeycomb.io:443
Add your Honeycomb access token as an OTLP header (you can find your API token here)

Example

1# Honeycomb Collector configuration
2exporters:
3  otlp:
4    endpoint: api.honeycomb.io:443
5    headers:
6      # You can find your Honeycomb authentication token at https://ui.honeycomb.io/account
7      "x-honeycomb-team":"<YOUR_API_KEY>"
8      # You can use any string for your dataset name, it will be created if it doesn't exist.
9      "x-honeycomb-dataset": "<YOUR_DATASET_NAME>"

Support

If you have any trouble using the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry with Honeycomb, you can reach out to the ADOT support team or directly to the Honeycomb support page.

Lightstep

Lightstep supports OpenTelemetry natively, via OTLP. If you’re already set up with AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry, then getting data into Lightstep only requires an edit to the YAML config file for the Collector to get started.

Requirements

Before you can use the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry with Lightstep, you need:

A Lightstep account. If you don't already have one, you can create a free account here.
An access token for your Lightstep project. This can be found in project settings (the gear icon in the sidebar).

Configuration (Collector)

The configuration will take place in the OTLP exporter in the Collector config YAML file.

Configure the Collector to export OTLP.
Set the OTLP endpoint to point to Lightstep.
- Public endpoint: ingest.lightstep.com:443
- Private satellites: the address of your satellite load balancer.
Add your Lightstep access token as an OTLP header.
- Header name: "lightstep-access-token"

Example

1# Lightstep Collector configuration
2exporters:
3  otlp:
4     # NOTE: if you are using private satellites, replace this public
5     # endpoint with the address of your satellite load balancer.
6    endpoint: ingest.lightstep.com:443
7     # Your access token can be found in the project settings page
8    headers: {"lightstep-access-token":"<YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN>"}

New Relic

New Relic supports OpenTelemetry natively, via OTLP. If you’re already set up with the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry, then sending data to New Relic can be accomplished with a simple change to the collector's YAML config file.

Requirements

Before you can use the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry with New Relic, you will need:

A New Relic account. If you don't already have one, you can sign up for a free account.
An Ingest-License Key for your account. Select "Create a Key" and "Ingest-License Key" for the type.

Configuration (Collector)

The configuration will take place in the OTLP exporter section of the Collector config YAML file.

Set the OTLP endpoint to otlp.nr-data.net:4317
Add your New Relic Ingest-License key as an OTLP header.
- Header name: "api-key"

Example

1# New Relic OTLP Collector configuration
2exporters:
3  otlp:
4    endpoint: otlp.nr-data.net:4317
5    headers: 
6      api-key: <YOUR_NEW_RELIC_LICENSE_KEY>

OpenSearch

OpenSearch supports ingesting enchriched trace data via Data Prepper, a standalone application that converts OLTP formatted data for use in OpenSearch. Data Prepper supports receiving trace data from OpenTelemetry natively via OTLP. Once you've set up a Data Prepper instance, completing the data pipeline is as simple as editing your YAML config file for the Collector and getting started.

Requirements

Before you can use the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry with OpenSearch, you need:

A Data Prepper instance, configured to write to your OpenSearch cluster. Configuration documentation can be found here.

Configuration (Collector)

The configuration will take place in the OTLP exporter in the Collector config YAML file.

Configure the Collector to export OTLP.
Set the OTLP endpoint to that of your Data Prepper instance or cluster.

Example

1# Data Prepper Collector configuration
2exporters:
3  otlp/data-prepper:
4     # Port 21890 is the default port exposed by Data Prepper.
5    endpoint: <YOUR_DATA_PREPPER_ADDRESS>:21890
6
7service:
8  pipelines:
9    traces:
10      exporters: [otlp/data-prepper]

Sumo Logic

Sumo Logic supports telemetry signals from OpenTelemetry natively via OTLP. If you’re already set up with AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry, then exporting data into a SumoLogic backend is as simple as editing your YAML config file for the Collector and getting started.

Requirements

Before you can use the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry with Sumo Logic you need:

A Sumo Logic account. If you don't already have one, you can create an account here.
A HTTP Traces endpoint URL. Instructions how to get one are available here.

Configuration (Collector)

The configuration will take place in the OTLP/HTTP exporter in the Collector config YAML file.

Example

1# SumoLogic Collector configuration
2exporters:
3  otlphttp:
4    endpoint: https://YOUR_SUMOLOGIC_HTTP_TRACES_ENDPOINT_URL

If you are instrumenting your application using OpenTelemetry JavaScript, Java, Python, Go, Ruby, .NET you can use the SumoLogic documentation to set up your application and obtain telemetry data.

Support

If you have any trouble using the AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry with Sumo Logic, you can reach out to the ADOT support team or directly to the Sumo Logic support page.

Questions, Feedback?

We would love to hear more common configuration scenarios or improvements to this documentation from you! Please submit an issue on the aws-otel community page to let us know.

Getting Started with the OTLP Exporters

Getting Started with the OTLP Exporters

OTLP Protocol

OTLP/HTTP

OTLP/gRPC

Setting up A Monitoring Backend

Prerequisites

AppDynamics

Requirements

Configuration (Collector)

Example

Grafana Labs

Grafana Cloud Agent

Requirements

Configuration

Honeycomb

Requirements

Configuration (Collector)

Example

Support

Lightstep

Requirements

Configuration (Collector)

Example

New Relic

Requirements

Configuration (Collector)

Example

OpenSearch

Requirements

Configuration (Collector)

Example

Sumo Logic

Requirements

Configuration (Collector)

Example

Support

Questions, Feedback?

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