---
title: "Beyla Network Metrics configuration options | Grafana Beyla documentation"
description: "Learn about the configuration options available for Beyla network metrics"
---

# Beyla Network Metrics configuration options

Network metrics are configured under the `network` property of the [Beyla Configuration YAML file](../../configure/options/) or with a set of environment variables prefixed as `BEYLA_NETWORK_`.

Example YAML:

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

```yaml
network:
  enable: true
  cidrs:
    - 10.10.0.0/24
    - 10.0.0.0/8
    - 10.30.0.0/16
attributes:
  kubernetes:
    enable: true
  select:
    beyla_network_flow_bytes:
      include:
      - k8s.src.owner.name
      - k8s.src.namespace
      - k8s.dst.owner.name
      - k8s.dst.namespace
      - src.cidr
      - dst.cidr
otel_metrics_export:
  endpoint: http://localhost:4318
```

In addition to the `network` YAML section, Beyla configuration requires an endpoint to export the network metrics (in the previous example, `otel_metrics_export`, but it also accepts a [Prometheus endpoint](../../configure/options/)).

## Network metrics configuration properties

To enable network metrics, add one of the following `features` to the first-level [metrics section](../../configure/export-data/#metrics-export-features):

- `network` enables the `beyla_network_flow_bytes` metric: the number of bytes between two endpoints of your cluster
- `network_inter_zone` enables `beyla_network_inter_zone_bytes` metric: the number of bytes between different availability zones in your Cloud cluster

> Caution
> 
> The `beyla_network_inter_zone_bytes` specification is currently in experimental and only available for Kubernetes cluster. The specification is not final and future version of Beyla may introduce breaking changes.

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| YAML     | Environment variable   | Type   | Default         |
|----------|------------------------|--------|-----------------|
| `source` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_SOURCE` | string | `socket_filter` |

Specifies the Linux Kernel feature used to source the network events Beyla reports.

The available options are: `tc` and `socket_filter`.

When `tc` is used as an event source, Beyla uses the Linux Traffic Control ingress and egress filters to capture the network events, in a direct action mode. This event source mode assumes that no other eBPF programs are attaching to the same Linux Traffic Control interface, in direct action mode. For example, the Cilium Kubernetes CNI uses the same approach, therefore if you have Cilium CNI installed in your Kubernetes cluster, configure Beyla to capture the network events with the `socket_filter` mode.

When `socket_filter` is used as an event source, Beyla installs an eBPF Linux socket filter to capture the network events. This mode doesn’t conflict with Cilium CNI or other eBPF programs, which use the Linux Traffic Control egress and ingress filters.

Expand table

| YAML    | Environment variable  | Type      | Default |
|---------|-----------------------|-----------|---------|
| `cidrs` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_CIDRS` | \[]string | (empty) |

CIDRs list, to be set as the `src.cidr` and `dst.cidr` attribute with the entry that matches the `src.address` and `dst.address` respectively.

The attribute as a function of the source and destination IP addresses. If an IP address does not match any address here, the attributes won’t be set. If an IP address matches multiple CIDR definitions, the flow is decorated with the narrowest CIDR. As a result, you can safely add a `0.0.0.0/0` entry to group all the traffic that does not match any of the other CIDRs.

If you set this property via environment variable each entry must be separated by a comma, for example:

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

```sh
BEYLA_NETWORK_CIDRS=10.0.0.0/8,192.168.0.0/16
```

Expand table

| YAML       | Environment variable     | Type   | Default   |
|------------|--------------------------|--------|-----------|
| `agent_ip` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_AGENT_IP` | string | (not set) |

Allows overriding the reported `beyla.ip` attribute on each metric. If not set, Beyla automatically detects its own IP address from the specified network interface (see next property).

Expand table

| YAML             | Environment variable           | Type   | Default    |
|------------------|--------------------------------|--------|------------|
| `agent_ip_iface` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_AGENT_IP_IFACE` | string | `external` |

Specifies which interface Beyla should use to pick its own IP address to set the value of the `beyla.ip` attribute. Accepted values are: `external` (default), `local`, or `name:<interface name>` (e.g. `name:eth0`).

If the `agent_ip` configuration property is set, this property has no effect.

Expand table

| YAML            | Environment variable          | Type   | Default |
|-----------------|-------------------------------|--------|---------|
| `agent_ip_type` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_AGENT_IP_TYPE` | string | `any`   |

Specifies which type of IP address (IPv4 or IPv6 or both) Beyla should report in the `beyla.ip` field of each flow. Accepted values are: `any` (default), `ipv4`, `ipv6`. If the `agent_ip` configuration property is set, this property has no effect.

Expand table

| YAML         | Environment variable       | Type      | Default |
|--------------|----------------------------|-----------|---------|
| `interfaces` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_INTERFACES` | \[]string | (empty) |

The interface names where flows are collected from. If empty, Beyla fetches all the interfaces in the system, excepting the ones listed in `excluded_interfaces` (see below). If an entry is enclosed by slashes (e.g. `/br-/`), it is matched as regular expression, otherwise it is matched as a case-sensitive string.

If you set this property via environment variable each entry must be separated by a comma, for example:

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

```sh
BEYLA_NETWORK_INTERFACES=eth0,eth1,/^veth/
```

Expand table

| YAML                 | Environment variable               | Type      | Default |
|----------------------|------------------------------------|-----------|---------|
| `exclude_interfaces` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_EXCLUDE_INTERFACES` | \[]string | `lo`    |

The interface names to be excluded from network flow tracing. Default: `lo` (loop-back). If an entry is enclosed by slashes (e.g. `/br-/`), it is matched as a regular expression, otherwise it is matched as a case-sensitive string.

If you set this property via environment variable each entry must be separated by a comma, for example:

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

```sh
BEYLA_NETWORK_EXCLUDE_INTERFACES=lo,/^veth/
```

Expand table

| YAML        | Environment variable      | Type      | Default |
|-------------|---------------------------|-----------|---------|
| `protocols` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_PROTOCOLS` | \[]string | (empty) |

If set, Beyla drops any network flow whose reported Internet Protocol is not in this list.

The accepted values are defined in the Linux enumeration of [Standard well-defined IP protocols](https://elixir.bootlin.com/linux/v6.8.7/source/include/uapi/linux/in.h#L28), and can be: `TCP`, `UDP`, `IP`, `ICMP`, `IGMP`, `IPIP`, `EGP`, `PUP`, `IDP`, `TP`, `DCCP`, `IPV6`, `RSVP`, `GRE`, `ESP`, `AH`, `MTP`, `BEETPH`, `ENCAP`, `PIM`, `COMP`, `L2TP`, `SCTP`, `UDPLITE`, `MPLS`, `ETHERNET`, `RAW`

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| YAML                | Environment variable              | Type      | Default |
|---------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------|---------|
| `exclude_protocols` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_EXCLUDE_PROTOCOLS` | \[]string | (empty) |

If set, Beyla drops any network flow whose reported Internet Protocol is in this list.

If the `protocols`/`BEYLA_NETWORK_PROTOCOLS` list is already set, this property is ignored.

The accepted values are defined in the Linux enumeration of [Standard well-defined IP protocols](https://elixir.bootlin.com/linux/v6.8.7/source/include/uapi/linux/in.h#L28), and can be: `TCP`, `UDP`, `IP`, `ICMP`, `IGMP`, `IPIP`, `EGP`, `PUP`, `IDP`, `TP`, `DCCP`, `IPV6`, `RSVP`, `GRE`, `ESP`, `AH`, `MTP`, `BEETPH`, `ENCAP`, `PIM`, `COMP`, `L2TP`, `SCTP`, `UDPLITE`, `MPLS`, `ETHERNET`, `RAW`

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| YAML              | Environment variable            | Type    | Default |
|-------------------|---------------------------------|---------|---------|
| `cache_max_flows` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_CACHE_MAX_FLOWS` | integer | `5000`  |

Specifies how many flows can be accumulated in the accounting cache before being flushed for its later export. Default value is 5000. Decrease it if you see the “received message larger than max” error in Beyla logs.

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| YAML                   | Environment variable                 | Type     | Default |
|------------------------|--------------------------------------|----------|---------|
| `cache_active_timeout` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_CACHE_ACTIVE_TIMEOUT` | duration | `5s`    |

Specifies the maximum duration that flows are kept in the accounting cache before being flushed for its later export.

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| YAML        | Environment variable      | Type   | Default |
|-------------|---------------------------|--------|---------|
| `direction` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_DIRECTION` | string | `both`  |

Allows selecting which flows to trace according to its direction in the interface where they are captured from. Accepted values are `ingress`, `egress`, or `both` (default).

> Note
> 
> In this context, *ingress* or *egress* are not related to incoming/outgoing traffic from outside the node or the cluster, but the network interface. This means that the same network packet could be seen as “ingress” in a virtual network device and as “egress” in the backing physical network interface.

Expand table

| YAML       | Environment variable     | Type    | Default        |
|------------|--------------------------|---------|----------------|
| `sampling` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_SAMPLING` | integer | `0` (disabled) |

The rate at which packets should be sampled and sent to the target collector. For example, if set to 100, one out of 100 packets, on average, are sent to the target collector.

Expand table

| YAML          | Environment variable        | Type    | Default |
|---------------|-----------------------------|---------|---------|
| `print_flows` | `BEYLA_NETWORK_PRINT_FLOWS` | boolean | `false` |

If set to `true`, Beyla prints each network flow to standard output. Note, this might generate a lot of output.