---
title: "otelcol.exporter.kafka | Grafana Alloy documentation"
description: "Learn about otelcol.exporter.kafka"
---

# `otelcol.exporter.kafka`

`otelcol.exporter.kafka` accepts logs, metrics, and traces telemetry data from other `otelcol` components and sends it to Kafka.

It’s important to use `otelcol.exporter.kafka` together with `otelcol.processor.batch` to make sure `otelcol.exporter.kafka` doesn’t slow down due to sending Kafka a huge number of small payloads.

> Note
> 
> `otelcol.exporter.kafka` is a wrapper over the upstream OpenTelemetry Collector [`kafka`](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/tree/v0.147.0/exporter/kafkaexporter) exporter. Bug reports or feature requests will be redirected to the upstream repository, if necessary.

Multiple `otelcol.exporter.kafka` components can be specified by giving them different labels.

## Usage

Alloy ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```alloy
otelcol.exporter.kafka "LABEL" {
  protocol_version = "PROTOCOL_VERSION"
}
```

## Arguments

You can use the following arguments with `otelcol.exporter.kafka`:

Expand table

| Name                                       | Type           | Description                                                                                                                 | Default              | Required |
|--------------------------------------------|----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|----------|
| `protocol_version`                         | `string`       | Kafka protocol version to use.                                                                                              |                      | yes      |
| `brokers`                                  | `list(string)` | Kafka brokers to connect to.                                                                                                | `["localhost:9092"]` | no       |
| `allow_auto_topic_creation`                | `bool`         | Whether to allow automatic topic creation.                                                                                  | `true`               | no       |
| `client_id`                                | `string`       | Consumer client ID to use. The ID will be used for all produce requests.                                                    | `"otel-collector"`   | no       |
| `conn_idle_timeout`                        | `duration`     | Time after which idle connections are not reused and may be closed.                                                         | `"9m"`               | no       |
| `encoding`                                 | `string`       | (Deprecated) Encoding of payload read from Kafka.                                                                           | `"otlp_proto"`       | no       |
| `include_metadata_keys`                    | `list(string)` | List of metadata keys to propagate as Kafka message headers.                                                                | `[]`                 | no       |
| `partition_metrics_by_resource_attributes` | `bool`         | Whether to include the hash of sorted resource attributes as the message partitioning key in metric messages sent to Kafka. | `false`              | no       |
| `partition_logs_by_resource_attributes`    | `bool`         | Whether to include the hash of sorted resource attributes as the message partitioning key in log messages sent to Kafka.    | `false`              | no       |
| `partition_logs_by_trace_id`               | `bool`         | Whether to use the 16-bit hex string of the trace ID as the message partitioning key in log messages sent to Kafka.         | `false`              | no       |
| `partition_traces_by_id`                   | `bool`         | Whether to include the trace ID as the message key in trace messages sent to Kafka.                                         | `false`              | no       |
| `resolve_canonical_bootstrap_servers_only` | `bool`         | Whether to resolve then reverse-lookup broker IPs during startup.                                                           | `false`              | no       |
| `timeout`                                  | `duration`     | The timeout for every attempt to send data to the backend.                                                                  | `"5s"`               | no       |
| `topic_from_attribute`                     | `string`       | A resource attribute whose value should be used as the message’s topic.                                                     | `""`                 | no       |
| `topic`                                    | `string`       | (Deprecated) Kafka topic to send to.                                                                                        | *See below*          | no       |

> Warning
> 
> The `topic` and `encoding` arguments are deprecated in favor of the \[`logs`]\[logs], \[`metrics`]\[metrics], and \[`traces`]\[traces] blocks.

When `topic_from_metadata_key` is set in a signal-specific block, it will take precedence over `topic_from_attribute` and `topic` arguments. When `topic_from_attribute` is set, it will take precedence over the `topic` arguments in \[`logs`]\[logs], \[`metrics`]\[metrics], and \[`traces`]\[traces] blocks.

`partition_traces_by_id` doesn’t have any effect on Jaeger encoding exporters since Jaeger exporters include trace ID as the message key by default.

`partition_logs_by_resource_attributes` and `partition_logs_by_trace_id` are mutually exclusive and can’t both be `true`.

`include_metadata_keys` specifies metadata keys to propagate as Kafka message headers. If one or more keys aren’t found in the metadata, they are ignored. The keys also partition the data before export if `sending_queue.batch` is defined.

## Blocks

You can use the following blocks with `otelcol.exporter.kafka`:

No valid configuration blocks found.

### `logs`

The `logs` block configures how to send logs to Kafka brokers.

Expand table

| Name                      | Type     | Description                                                                                                                                        | Default        | Required |
|---------------------------|----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|----------|
| `encoding`                | `string` | The encoding for logs. Refer to [Supported encodings](#supported-encodings).                                                                       | `"otlp_proto"` | no       |
| `topic`                   | `string` | The name of the Kafka topic to which logs will be exported.                                                                                        | `"otlp_logs"`  | no       |
| `topic_from_metadata_key` | `string` | The name of the metadata key whose value should be used as the message’s topic. Takes precedence over `topic_from_attribute` and `topic` settings. | `""`           | no       |

### `metrics`

The `metrics` block configures how to send metrics to Kafka brokers.

Expand table

| Name                      | Type     | Description                                                                                                                                        | Default          | Required |
|---------------------------|----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------|----------|
| `encoding`                | `string` | The encoding for metrics. Refer to [Supported encodings](#supported-encodings).                                                                    | `"otlp_proto"`   | no       |
| `topic`                   | `string` | The name of the Kafka topic to which metrics will be exported.                                                                                     | `"otlp_metrics"` | no       |
| `topic_from_metadata_key` | `string` | The name of the metadata key whose value should be used as the message’s topic. Takes precedence over `topic_from_attribute` and `topic` settings. | `""`             | no       |

### `traces`

The `traces` block configures how to send traces to Kafka brokers.

Expand table

| Name                      | Type     | Description                                                                                                                                        | Default        | Required |
|---------------------------|----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|----------|
| `encoding`                | `string` | The encoding for traces. Refer to [Supported encodings](#supported-encodings).                                                                     | `"otlp_proto"` | no       |
| `topic`                   | `string` | The name of the Kafka topic to which traces will be exported.                                                                                      | `"otlp_spans"` | no       |
| `topic_from_metadata_key` | `string` | The name of the metadata key whose value should be used as the message’s topic. Takes precedence over `topic_from_attribute` and `topic` settings. | `""`           | no       |

### `authentication`

The `authentication` block holds the definition of different authentication mechanisms to use when connecting to Kafka brokers. It doesn’t support any arguments and is configured fully through inner blocks.

### `kerberos`

The `kerberos` block configures Kerberos authentication against the Kafka broker.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name                       | Type     | Description                                                     | Default | Required |
|----------------------------|----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `config_file`              | `string` | Path to Kerberos location, for example, `/etc/krb5.conf`.       |         | no       |
| `disable_fast_negotiation` | `bool`   | Disable PA-FX-FAST negotiation.                                 | `false` | no       |
| `keytab_file`              | `string` | Path to keytab file, for example, `/etc/security/kafka.keytab`. |         | no       |
| `password`                 | `secret` | Kerberos password to authenticate with.                         |         | no       |
| `realm`                    | `string` | Kerberos realm.                                                 |         | no       |
| `service_name`             | `string` | Kerberos service name.                                          |         | no       |
| `use_keytab`               | `string` | Enables using keytab instead of password.                       |         | no       |
| `username`                 | `string` | Kerberos username to authenticate as.                           |         | yes      |

When `use_keytab` is `false`, the `password` argument is required. When `use_keytab` is `true`, the file pointed to by the `keytab_file` argument is used for authentication instead. At most one of `password` or `keytab_file` must be provided.

`disable_fast_negotiation` is useful for Kerberos implementations which don’t support PA-FX-FAST (Pre-Authentication Framework - Fast) negotiation.

### `plaintext`

> Caution
> 
> The `plaintext` block has been deprecated. Use `sasl` with `mechanism` set to `PLAIN` instead.

The `plaintext` block configures plain text authentication against Kafka brokers.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name       | Type     | Description                                    | Default | Required |
|------------|----------|------------------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `password` | `secret` | Password to use for plain text authentication. |         | yes      |
| `username` | `string` | Username to use for plain text authentication. |         | yes      |

### `sasl`

The `sasl` block configures SASL authentication against Kafka brokers.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name        | Type     | Description                                              | Default | Required |
|-------------|----------|----------------------------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `mechanism` | `string` | SASL mechanism to use when authenticating.               |         | yes      |
| `password`  | `secret` | Password to use for SASL authentication.                 |         | yes      |
| `username`  | `string` | Username to use for SASL authentication.                 |         | yes      |
| `version`   | `number` | Version of the SASL Protocol to use when authenticating. | `0`     | no       |

You can set the `mechanism` argument to one of the following strings:

- `"PLAIN"`
- `"SCRAM-SHA-256"`
- `"SCRAM-SHA-512"`
- `"AWS_MSK_IAM_OAUTHBEARER"`

When `mechanism` is set to `"AWS_MSK_IAM_OAUTHBEARER"`, the `aws_msk` child block must also be provided.

You can set the `version` argument to either `0` or `1`.

### `aws_msk`

The `aws_msk` block configures extra parameters for SASL authentication when using the `AWS_MSK_IAM_OAUTHBEARER` mechanisms.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name     | Type     | Description                             | Default | Required |
|----------|----------|-----------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `region` | `string` | AWS region the MSK cluster is based in. |         | yes      |

### `tls`

The `tls` block configures TLS settings used for connecting to the Kafka brokers. If the `tls` block isn’t provided, TLS won’t be used for communication.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name                           | Type           | Description                                                                                  | Default     | Required |
|--------------------------------|----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------|----------|
| `ca_file`                      | `string`       | Path to the CA file.                                                                         |             | no       |
| `ca_pem`                       | `string`       | CA PEM-encoded text to validate the server with.                                             |             | no       |
| `cert_file`                    | `string`       | Path to the TLS certificate.                                                                 |             | no       |
| `cert_pem`                     | `string`       | Certificate PEM-encoded text for client authentication.                                      |             | no       |
| `cipher_suites`                | `list(string)` | A list of TLS cipher suites that the TLS transport can use.                                  | `[]`        | no       |
| `curve_preferences`            | `list(string)` | Set of elliptic curves to use in a handshake.                                                | `[]`        | no       |
| `include_system_ca_certs_pool` | `boolean`      | Whether to load the system certificate authorities pool alongside the certificate authority. | `false`     | no       |
| `insecure_skip_verify`         | `boolean`      | Ignores insecure server TLS certificates.                                                    |             | no       |
| `insecure`                     | `boolean`      | Disables TLS when connecting to the configured server.                                       |             | no       |
| `key_file`                     | `string`       | Path to the TLS certificate key.                                                             |             | no       |
| `key_pem`                      | `secret`       | Key PEM-encoded text for client authentication.                                              |             | no       |
| `max_version`                  | `string`       | Maximum acceptable TLS version for connections.                                              | `"TLS 1.3"` | no       |
| `min_version`                  | `string`       | Minimum acceptable TLS version for connections.                                              | `"TLS 1.2"` | no       |
| `reload_interval`              | `duration`     | The duration after which the certificate is reloaded.                                        | `"0s"`      | no       |
| `server_name`                  | `string`       | Verifies the hostname of server certificates when set.                                       |             | no       |

If the server doesn’t support TLS, you must set the `insecure` argument to `true`.

To disable `tls` for connections to the server, set the `insecure` argument to `true`.

If you set `reload_interval` to `"0s"`, the certificate never reloaded.

The following pairs of arguments are mutually exclusive and can’t both be set simultaneously:

- `ca_pem` and `ca_file`
- `cert_pem` and `cert_file`
- `key_pem` and `key_file`

If `cipher_suites` is left blank, a safe default list is used. Refer to the [Go TLS documentation](https://go.dev/src/crypto/tls/cipher_suites.go) for a list of supported cipher suites.

The `curve_preferences` argument determines the set of [elliptic curves](https://go.dev/src/crypto/tls/common.go#L138) to prefer during a handshake in preference order. If not provided, a default list is used. The set of elliptic curves available are `X25519`, `P521`, `P256`, and `P384`.

### `tpm`

The `tpm` block configures retrieving the TLS `key_file` from a trusted device.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name         | Type     | Description                                                        | Default | Required |
|--------------|----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `auth`       | `string` | The authorization value used to authenticate the TPM device.       | `""`    | no       |
| `enabled`    | `bool`   | Load the `tls.key_file` from TPM.                                  | `false` | no       |
| `owner_auth` | `string` | The owner authorization value used to authenticate the TPM device. | `""`    | no       |
| `path`       | `string` | Path to the TPM device or Unix domain socket.                      | `""`    | no       |

The [trusted platform module](https://trustedcomputinggroup.org/resource/trusted-platform-module-tpm-summary/) (TPM) configuration can be used for loading TLS key from TPM. Currently only TSS2 format is supported.

The `path` attribute is not supported on Windows.

In the following example, the private key `my-tss2-key.key` in TSS2 format is loaded from the TPM device `/dev/tmprm0`:

Alloy ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```alloy
otelcol.example.component "<LABEL>" {
    ...
    tls {
        ...
        key_file = "my-tss2-key.key"
        tpm {
            enabled = true
            path = "/dev/tpmrm0"
        }
    }
}
```

### `debug_metrics`

The `debug_metrics` block configures the metrics that this component generates to monitor its state.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name                               | Type      | Description                                          | Default | Required |
|------------------------------------|-----------|------------------------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `disable_high_cardinality_metrics` | `boolean` | Whether to disable certain high cardinality metrics. | `true`  | no       |

`disable_high_cardinality_metrics` is the Alloy equivalent to the `telemetry.disableHighCardinalityMetrics` feature gate in the OpenTelemetry Collector. It removes attributes that could cause high cardinality metrics. For example, attributes with IP addresses and port numbers in metrics about HTTP and gRPC connections are removed.

> Note
> 
> If configured, `disable_high_cardinality_metrics` only applies to `otelcol.exporter.*` and `otelcol.receiver.*` components.

### `metadata`

The `metadata` block configures how to retrieve and store metadata from the Kafka broker.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name               | Type       | Description                                           | Default | Required |
|--------------------|------------|-------------------------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `full`             | `bool`     | Whether to maintain a full set of metadata.           | `true`  | no       |
| `refresh_interval` | `duration` | The frequency at which cluster metadata is refreshed. | `"10m"` | no       |

When `full` is set to `false`, the client does not make the initial request to broker at the startup.

Retrieving metadata may fail if the Kafka broker is starting up at the same time as the Alloy component. The `retry` child block can be provided to customize retry behavior.

### `retry`

The `retry` block configures how to retry retrieving metadata when retrieval fails.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name          | Type       | Description                                      | Default   | Required |
|---------------|------------|--------------------------------------------------|-----------|----------|
| `backoff`     | `duration` | Time to wait between retries.                    | `"250ms"` | no       |
| `max_retries` | `number`   | How many times to reattempt retrieving metadata. | `3`       | no       |

### `producer`

The `producer` block configures how to retry retrieving metadata when retrieval fails.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name                 | Type     | Description                                         | Default   | Required |
|----------------------|----------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------|----------|
| `compression`        | `string` | The level of compression to use on messages.        | `"none"`  | no       |
| `flush_max_messages` | `number` | The maximum number of messages in one request.      | `10000`   | no       |
| `max_message_bytes`  | `number` | The maximum permitted size of a message in bytes.   | `1000000` | no       |
| `required_acks`      | `number` | Controls when a message is regarded as transmitted. | `1`       | no       |

Refer to the [Go sarama documentation](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/IBM/sarama@v1.43.2#RequiredAcks) for more information on `required_acks`.

`compression` could be set to either `none`, `gzip`, `snappy`, `lz4`, or `zstd`. Refer to the [Go sarama documentation](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/IBM/sarama@v1.43.2#CompressionCodec) for more information.

### `compression_params`

The `compression_params` block configures the producer compression parameters.

The following argument is supported:

Expand table

| Name    | Type  | Description                                  | Default | Required |
|---------|-------|----------------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `level` | `int` | The level of compression to use on messages. | `0`     | no       |

The following levels are valid combinations of `compression` and `level`:

Expand table

| Compression | Value | Description            |
|-------------|-------|------------------------|
| `gzip`      | `1`   | BestSpeed              |
| `gzip`      | `9`   | BestCompression        |
| `gzip`      | `-1`  | DefaultCompression     |
| `zstd`      | `1`   | SpeedFastest           |
| `zstd`      | `3`   | SpeedDefault           |
| `zstd`      | `6`   | SpeedBetterCompression |
| `zstd`      | `11`  | SpeedBestCompression   |

`lz4` and `snappy` do not currently support compression levels in this component.

### `retry_on_failure`

The `retry_on_failure` block configures how failed requests to Kafka are retried.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name                   | Type       | Description                                            | Default | Required |
|------------------------|------------|--------------------------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `enabled`              | `boolean`  | Enables retrying failed requests.                      | `true`  | no       |
| `initial_interval`     | `duration` | Initial time to wait before retrying a failed request. | `"5s"`  | no       |
| `max_elapsed_time`     | `duration` | Maximum time to wait before discarding a failed batch. | `"5m"`  | no       |
| `max_interval`         | `duration` | Maximum time to wait between retries.                  | `"30s"` | no       |
| `multiplier`           | `number`   | Factor to grow wait time before retrying.              | `1.5`   | no       |
| `randomization_factor` | `number`   | Factor to randomize wait time before retrying.         | `0.5`   | no       |

When `enabled` is `true`, failed batches are retried after a given interval. The `initial_interval` argument specifies how long to wait before the first retry attempt. If requests continue to fail, the time to wait before retrying increases by the factor specified by the `multiplier` argument, which must be greater than `1.0`. The `max_interval` argument specifies the upper bound of how long to wait between retries.

The `randomization_factor` argument is useful for adding jitter between retrying Alloy instances. If `randomization_factor` is greater than `0`, the wait time before retries is multiplied by a random factor in the range `[ I - randomization_factor * I, I + randomization_factor * I]`, where `I` is the current interval.

If a batch hasn’t been sent successfully, it’s discarded after the time specified by `max_elapsed_time` elapses. If `max_elapsed_time` is set to `"0s"`, failed requests are retried forever until they succeed.

### `sending_queue`

The `sending_queue` block configures queueing and batching for the exporter.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name                | Type                       | Description                                                                                | Default      | Required |
|---------------------|----------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|
| `block_on_overflow` | `boolean`                  | The behavior when the component’s `TotalSize` limit is reached.                            | `false`      | no       |
| `enabled`           | `boolean`                  | Enables a buffer before sending data to the client.                                        | `true`       | no       |
| `num_consumers`     | `number`                   | Number of readers to send batches written to the queue in parallel.                        | `10`         | no       |
| `queue_size`        | `number`                   | Maximum number of unwritten batches allowed in the queue at the same time.                 | `1000`       | no       |
| `sizer`             | `string`                   | How the queue and batching is measured.                                                    | `"requests"` | no       |
| `wait_for_result`   | `boolean`                  | Determines if incoming requests are blocked until the request is processed or not.         | `false`      | no       |
| `storage`           | `capsule(otelcol.Handler)` | Handler from an `otelcol.storage` component to use to enable a persistent queue mechanism. |              | no       |

The `blocking` argument is deprecated in favor of the `block_on_overflow` argument.

When `block_on_overflow` is `true`, the component will wait for space. Otherwise, operations will immediately return a retryable error.

When `enabled` is `true`, data is first written to an in-memory buffer before sending it to the configured server. Batches sent to the component’s `input` exported field are added to the buffer as long as the number of unsent batches doesn’t exceed the configured `queue_size`.

`queue_size` determines how long an endpoint outage is tolerated. Assuming 100 requests/second, the default queue size `1000` provides about 10 seconds of outage tolerance. To calculate the correct value for `queue_size`, multiply the average number of outgoing requests per second by the time in seconds that outages are tolerated. A very high value can cause Out Of Memory (OOM) kills.

The `sizer` argument could be set to:

- `requests`: number of incoming batches of metrics, logs, traces (the most performant option).
- `items`: number of the smallest parts of each signal (spans, metric data points, log records).
- `bytes`: the size of serialized data in bytes (the least performant option).

The `num_consumers` argument controls how many readers read from the buffer and send data in parallel. Larger values of `num_consumers` allow data to be sent more quickly at the expense of increased network traffic.

If an `otelcol.storage.*` component is configured and provided in the queue’s `storage` argument, the queue uses the provided storage extension to provide a persistent queue and the queue is no longer stored in memory. Any data persisted will be processed on startup if Alloy is killed or restarted. Refer to the [exporterhelper documentation](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector/blob/v0.147.0/exporter/exporterhelper/README.md#persistent-queue) in the OpenTelemetry Collector repository for more details.

### `batch`

The `batch` block configures batching requests based on a timeout and a minimum number of items.

Batching is disabled by default. To enable it, explicitly include `batch {}` in your Alloy configuration. You do not need to include a `batch {}` block in your `otelcol.exporter` if you already use a `otelcol.processor.batch` component, although batching in the exporter is the preferred method because it is more flexible.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name            | Type       | Description                                                                                                | Default   | Required |
|-----------------|------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|----------|
| `flush_timeout` | `duration` | Time after which a batch will be sent regardless of its size. Must be a non-zero value.                    | `"200ms"` | no       |
| `min_size`      | `number`   | The minimum size of a batch.                                                                               | `2000`    | no       |
| `max_size`      | `number`   | The maximum size of a batch, enables batch splitting.                                                      | `3000`    | no       |
| `sizer`         | `string`   | How the queue and batching is measured. Overrides the sizer set at the `sending_queue` level for batching. | `"items"` | no       |

If configured, `max_size` must be greater than or equal to `min_size`.

The `sizer` argument can be set to:

- `items`: The number of the smallest parts of each span, metric data point, or log record.
- `bytes`: the size of serialized data in bytes (the least performant option).

## Exported fields

The following fields are exported and can be referenced by other components:

Expand table

| Name    | Type               | Description                                                      |
|---------|--------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `input` | `otelcol.Consumer` | A value that other components can use to send telemetry data to. |

`input` accepts `otelcol.Consumer` data for any telemetry signal (metrics, logs, or traces).

## Supported encodings

`otelcol.exporter.kafka` supports encoding extensions, as well as the following built-in encodings.

Available for all signals:

- `otlp_proto`: Data is encoded as OTLP Protobuf.
- `otlp_json`: Data is encoded as OTLP JSON.

Available only for traces:

- `jaeger_proto`: The payload is serialized to a single Jaeger proto `Span`, and keyed by TraceID.
- `jaeger_json`: The payload is serialized to a single Jaeger JSON Span using `jsonpb`, and keyed by TraceID.
- `zipkin_proto`: The payload is serialized to Zipkin v2 proto Span.
- `zipkin_json`: The payload is serialized to Zipkin v2 JSON Span.

Available only for logs:

- `raw`: If the log record body is a byte array, it is sent as is. Otherwise, it is serialized to JSON. Resource and record attributes are discarded.

## Component health

`otelcol.exporter.kafka` is only reported as unhealthy if given an invalid configuration.

## Debug information

`otelcol.exporter.kafka` doesn’t expose any component-specific debug information.

## Example

This example forwards telemetry data through a batch processor before finally sending it to Kafka:

Alloy ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```alloy
otelcol.receiver.otlp "default" {
  http {}
  grpc {}

  output {
    metrics = [otelcol.processor.batch.default.input]
    logs    = [otelcol.processor.batch.default.input]
    traces  = [otelcol.processor.batch.default.input]
  }
}

otelcol.processor.batch "default" {
  output {
    metrics = [otelcol.exporter.kafka.default.input]
    logs    = [otelcol.exporter.kafka.default.input]
    traces  = [otelcol.exporter.kafka.default.input]
  }
}

otelcol.exporter.kafka "default" {
  brokers          = ["localhost:9092"]
  protocol_version = "2.0.0"
}
```

## Compatible components

`otelcol.exporter.kafka` has exports that can be consumed by the following components:

- Components that consume [OpenTelemetry `otelcol.Consumer`](../../../compatibility/#opentelemetry-otelcolconsumer-consumers)

> Note
> 
> Connecting some components may not be sensible or components may require further configuration to make the connection work correctly. Refer to the linked documentation for more details.