Attribute matching

Attribute matching is the mechanism that connects pipelines to collectors. When you create a pipeline, you define matchers, which are rules that specify which collectors should receive that pipeline based on their attributes.

Matchers determine which collectors receive a pipeline.

How matchers work

You define…	To match…
`env=production`	All collectors with `env` attribute set to `production`
`region=~"us-.*"`	All collectors in any US region

Matcher syntax

Each matcher combines an attribute name, an operator, and a value. Matchers follow the same syntax as Prometheus Alertmanager matchers, so they may look familiar.

Operator	Meaning	Example
`=`	Equals	`env=production`
`!=`	Not equals	`env!=development`
`=~`	Regex match	`region=~"us-.*"`
`!~`	Regex not match	`team!~"test-.*"`

Matching rule: AND logic

When you assign multiple matchers to a pipeline, Fleet Management combines them with AND logic. All matchers must match for a collector to receive the pipeline.

Matchers defined	Collector receives pipeline if…
`env=prod`	`env` is `prod`
`env=prod`, `region=us-east`	`env` is `prod` AND `region` is `us-east`

This lets you be precise about which collectors receive a configuration. The more matchers you add, the narrower your matching becomes.

Attribute matching is how you tell Fleet Management which collectors should receive a pipeline. Its matchers follow the same syntax as Prometheus Alertmanager matchers, so they may look familiar if you’ve used those before.

A matcher has three parts: an attribute name, an operator, and a value. The operators are equals, not equals, regex match, and regex not match. For example, “env equals production” or “region matches us-dash-star.”

When you assign matchers to a pipeline, Fleet Management uses AND logic. All matchers must match for a collector to receive the pipeline. So if you have matchers for env equals production AND region equals us-east, a collector needs both attributes to get that pipeline.

This AND logic is important to understand. It means you can be very precise about which collectors receive a configuration. The more matchers you add, the narrower your matching becomes.

Attribute matching