Document logs functionality of otel plugin (#21705)
vkalintiris committed
Feb 4, 2026 at 13:45 UTC
83ac4e53cbc7903a77acb9d817a3c3d7a4fc3bac
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src/crates/netdata-otel/otel-plugin/README.md
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@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ endpoint:
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tls_ca_cert_path: null
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```
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-### Metrics
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+## Metrics
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The `metrics` section allows users to specify the directory containing
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configuration files for mapping OpenTelemetry metrics to Netdata chart
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ metrics:
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buffer_samples: 10
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```
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-## Mapping OpenTelemetry metrics to Netdata chart instances
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+### Mapping OpenTelemetry metrics to Netdata chart instances
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Without an explicit mapping, the `otel.plugin` defaults to creating distinct
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chart instances based on the attributes of each data point in a metric. Users
@@ -80,3 +80,32 @@ corresponding regular expressions specified in the values of the
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`instrumentation_scope_name` and `metric_name` keys. Similarly, the values of
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the `protocol` and `state` attributes of each data point in the matched metric
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will be used to create a new chart instance with the proper dimension names.
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+
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+## Logs
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+
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+The `logs` section configures how `otel.plugin` receives, stores, and manages
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+OpenTelemetry logs. Logs are stored in `systemd`-compatible journal files that
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+support rotation and retention policies for efficient storage management.
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+
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+### Rotation
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+
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+Rotation controls when a new journal file is created. A new file is created
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+when **any** of the following limits is exceeded:
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+
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+| Option | Default | Description |
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+|------------------------------|-----------|----------------------------------------------|
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+| `size_of_journal_file` | `100MB` | Maximum file size before rotating |
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+| `entries_of_journal_file` | `50000` | Maximum log entries per file |
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+| `duration_of_journal_file` | `2 hours` | Maximum time span within a single file |
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+
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+### Retention
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+
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+Retention controls when old journal files are deleted, allowing you to limit
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+the overall size of the logs directory. Files are removed (starting with the
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+oldest) to satisfy **all** of the following limits:
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+
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+| Option | Default | Description |
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+|------------------------------|----------|-----------------------------------|
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+| `number_of_journal_files` | `10` | Maximum number of files to keep |
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+| `size_of_journal_files` | `1GB` | Maximum total size of all files |
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+| `duration_of_journal_files` | `7 days` | Maximum age of files |