Configure Beyla performance

YAML section: grafana.otlp

You can use the eBPF tracer to fine-tune Beyla performance.

You can configure the component under the ebpf section of your YAML configuration or with environment variables.

YAML environment variable	Description	Type	Default
`wakeup_len` `BEYLA_BPF_WAKEUP_LEN`	Sets how many messages Beyla accumulates in the eBPF ring buffer before sending a wake-up request to user space. Refer to wake up length.	string	(unset)
`traffic_control_backend` `BEYLA_BPF_TC_BACKEND`	Selects the backend for attaching traffic control probes. Refer to the traffic control backend section for details.	string	`auto`
`http_request_timeout` `BEYLA_BPF_HTTP_REQUEST_TIMEOUT`	Sets the time interval after which Beyla considers an HTTP request a timeout. Refer to the HTTP request timeout section for details.	string	(0ms)
`high_request_volume` `BEYLA_BPF_HIGH_REQUEST_VOLUME`	Sends telemetry events as soon as Beyla detects a response. Refer to the high request volume section for details.	boolean	(false)

Wake up length

Beyla accumulates messages in the eBPF ringbuffer and sends a wake-up request to user space when it reaches this value.

For high-load services, set this option higher to reduce CPU overhead.

For low-load services, high values can delay when Beyla submits metrics and when they become visible.

Traffic control backend

This option selects the backend for attaching traffic control probes. Linux 6.6 adds support for TCX, a file-descriptor based traffic control attachment. TCX is more robust, doesn’t require explicit qdisc management, and chains probes deterministically. We recommend the tcx backend for kernels >= 6.6. When set to auto, Beyla chooses the best backend for your kernel.

Accepted backends: tc, tcx, and auto. If you leave this value empty or unset, Beyla uses auto.

HTTP request timeout

This option sets how long Beyla waits before considering an HTTP request a timeout. Beyla can report HTTP transactions that time out and never return. Set this option to a non-zero value to enable automatic HTTP request timeouts. When a request times out, Beyla reports HTTP status code 408. Disconnects can look like timeouts, so setting this value may increase your request averages.

High request volume

This option makes Beyla send telemetry events as soon as it detects a response. It reduces timing accuracy for requests with large responses, but in high-volume scenarios, it helps reduce dropped trace events.