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

# `otelcol.exporter.otlp`

`otelcol.exporter.otlp` accepts telemetry data from other `otelcol` components and writes them over the network using the OTLP gRPC protocol.

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

You can specify multiple `otelcol.exporter.otlp` components by giving them different labels.

## Usage

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

```alloy
otelcol.exporter.otlp "<LABEL>" {
  client {
    endpoint = "<HOST>:<PORT>"
  }
}
```

## Arguments

You can use the following argument with `otelcol.exporter.otlp`:

Expand table

| Name      | Type       | Description                                      | Default | Required |
|-----------|------------|--------------------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `timeout` | `duration` | Time to wait before marking a request as failed. | `"5s"`  | no       |

## Blocks

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

No valid configuration blocks found.

### `client`

Required

The `client` block configures the gRPC client used by the component.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name                | Type                       | Description                                                                      | Default         | Required |
|---------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|----------|
| `endpoint`          | `string`                   | `host:port` to send telemetry data to.                                           |                 | yes      |
| `auth`              | `capsule(otelcol.Handler)` | Handler from an `otelcol.auth` component to use for authenticating requests.     |                 | no       |
| `authority`         | `string`                   | Overrides the default `:authority` header in gRPC requests from the gRPC client. |                 | no       |
| `balancer_name`     | `string`                   | Which gRPC client-side load balancer to use for requests.                        | `"round_robin"` | no       |
| `compression`       | `string`                   | Compression mechanism to use for requests.                                       | `"gzip"`        | no       |
| `headers`           | `map(string)`              | Additional headers to send with the request.                                     | `{}`            | no       |
| `read_buffer_size`  | `string`                   | Size of the read buffer the gRPC client to use for reading server responses.     |                 | no       |
| `wait_for_ready`    | `boolean`                  | Waits for gRPC connection to be in the `READY` state before sending data.        | `false`         | no       |
| `write_buffer_size` | `string`                   | Size of the write buffer the gRPC client to use for writing requests.            | `"512KiB"`      | no       |

By default, requests are compressed with Gzip. The `compression` argument controls which compression mechanism to use. Supported strings are:

- `"gzip"`
- `"zlib"`
- `"deflate"`
- `"snappy"`
- `"zstd"`

If you set `compression` to `"none"` or an empty string `""`, the requests aren’t compressed.

The supported values for `balancer_name` are listed in the gRPC documentation on [Load balancing](https://github.com/grpc/grpc-go/blob/master/examples/features/load_balancing/README.md):

- `pick_first`: Tries to connect to the first address. It uses the address for all RPCs if it connects, or if it fails, it tries the next address and keeps trying until one connection is successful. Because of this, all the RPCs are sent to the same backend.
- `round_robin`: Connects to all the addresses it sees and sends an RPC to each backend one at a time in order. For example, the first RPC is sent to backend-1, the second RPC is sent to backend-2, and the third RPC is sent to backend-1.

The `:authority` header in gRPC specifies the host to which the request is being sent. It’s similar to the `Host` [header](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/Host) in HTTP requests. By default, the value for `:authority` is derived from the endpoint URL used for the gRPC call. Overriding `:authority` could be useful when routing traffic using a proxy like Envoy, which [makes routing decisions](https://www.envoyproxy.io/docs/envoy/latest/configuration/http/http_conn_man/route_matching) based on the value of the `:authority` header.

An HTTP proxy can be configured through the following environment variables:

- `HTTPS_PROXY`
- `NO_PROXY`

The `HTTPS_PROXY` environment variable specifies a URL to use for proxying requests. Connections to the proxy are established via [the `HTTP CONNECT` method](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Methods/CONNECT).

The `NO_PROXY` environment variable is an optional list of comma-separated hostnames for which the HTTPS proxy should *not* be used. Each hostname can be provided as an IP address (`1.2.3.4`), an IP address in CIDR notation (`1.2.3.4/8`), a domain name (`example.com`), or `*`. A domain name matches that domain and all subdomains. A domain name with a leading “.” (`.example.com`) matches subdomains only. `NO_PROXY` is only read when `HTTPS_PROXY` is set.

Because `otelcol.exporter.otlp` uses gRPC, the configured proxy server must be able to handle and proxy HTTP/2 traffic.

### `keepalive`

The `keepalive` block configures keepalive settings for gRPC client connections.

The following arguments are supported:

Expand table

| Name                    | Type       | Description                                                                               | Default | Required |
|-------------------------|------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|----------|
| `ping_wait`             | `duration` | How often to ping the server after no activity.                                           |         | no       |
| `ping_response_timeout` | `duration` | Time to wait before closing inactive connections if the server doesn’t respond to a ping. |         | no       |
| `ping_without_stream`   | `boolean`  | Send pings even if there is no active stream request.                                     |         | no       |

### `tls`

The `tls` block configures TLS settings used for the connection to the gRPC server.

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"
        }
    }
}
```

> Note
> 
> `otelcol.exporter.otlp` uses gRPC, which doesn’t allow you to send sensitive credentials like `auth` over insecure channels. Sending sensitive credentials over insecure non-TLS connections is supported by non-gRPC exporters such as [`otelcol.exporter.otlphttp`](../otelcol.exporter.otlphttp/).

### `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.

### `retry_on_failure`

The `retry_on_failure` block configures how failed requests to the gRPC server 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).

## Component health

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

## Debug information

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

## Debug metrics

- `otelcol_exporter_queue_capacity` (gauge): Fixed capacity of the retry queue (in batches)
- `otelcol_exporter_queue_size` (gauge): Current size of the retry queue (in batches)
- `otelcol_exporter_send_failed_spans_total` (counter): Number of spans in failed attempts to send to destination.
- `otelcol_exporter_sent_spans_total` (counter): Number of spans successfully sent to destination.
- `rpc_client_duration_milliseconds` (histogram): Measures the duration of inbound RPC.
- `rpc_client_request_size_bytes` (histogram): Measures size of RPC request messages (uncompressed).
- `rpc_client_requests_per_rpc` (histogram): Measures the number of messages received per RPC. Should be 1 for all non-streaming RPCs.
- `rpc_client_response_size_bytes` (histogram): Measures size of RPC response messages (uncompressed).
- `rpc_client_responses_per_rpc` (histogram): Measures the number of messages received per RPC. Should be 1 for all non-streaming RPCs.

## Examples

The following examples show you how to create an exporter to send data to different destinations.

### Send data to a local Tempo instance

You can create an exporter that sends your data to a local Grafana Tempo instance without TLS:

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

```alloy
otelcol.exporter.otlp "tempo" {
    client {
        endpoint = "tempo:4317"
        tls {
            insecure             = true
            insecure_skip_verify = true
        }
    }
}
```

### Send data to a managed service

You can create an `otlp` exporter that sends your data to a managed service, for example, Grafana Cloud. The Tempo username and Grafana Cloud API Key are injected in this example through environment variables.

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

```alloy
otelcol.exporter.otlp "grafana_cloud_traces" {
    client {
        endpoint = "tempo-xxx.grafana.net/tempo:443"
        auth     = otelcol.auth.basic.grafana_cloud_traces.handler
    }
}
otelcol.auth.basic "grafana_cloud_traces" {
    username = sys.env("TEMPO_USERNAME")
    password = sys.env("GRAFANA_CLOUD_API_KEY")
}
```

## Compatible components

`otelcol.exporter.otlp` 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.