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Graphite

Graphite to Grafana Cloud

What it’s for: Teams migrating from Graphite who want managed storage in Grafana Cloud.

For Graphite metrics, you can use Telegraf, OpenTelemetry, or Carbon Relay as a bridge to Grafana Cloud.

Graphite to Grafana Cloud options

Option 1: Telegraf

Best for: Teams migrating from Graphite who want managed storage

ProsCons
Simple Graphite input pluginAnother tool to manage
Prometheus remote write outputInfluxData ecosystem
Well-documented, mature

Option 2: OpenTelemetry Collector

ProsCons
Unified collector for metrics, logs, tracesMore complex configuration
Graphite receiver built-inNewer, less Graphite-specific docs
Modern, vendor-neutral standard

Option 3: Carbon Relay

Only recommended if already running Carbon Relay

ProsCons
Direct integration if already deployedNot recommended for new setups
Native Graphite protocol supportLegacy approach
Use Grafana Alloy or OTel for greenfield

Note: The OpenTelemetry docs mention Grafana Alloy as the recommended collector. Alloy is Grafana’s distribution of the OTel Collector. If you’re starting fresh, consider using Grafana Alloy. This course is for teams already running existing collectors.

Documentation

View the full documentation. Learning path coming soon!

Script

If you’re running Graphite, you have several options for sending metrics to Grafana Cloud: Telegraf, OpenTelemetry, and Carbon Relay.

Telegraf is InfluxData’s collection agent, but it works with many formats including Graphite. You can configure Telegraf to receive Graphite metrics and output them in Prometheus remote write format. It’s a straightforward bridge if you’re already familiar with Telegraf.

OpenTelemetry is the more modern approach. The OpenTelemetry Collector can receive Graphite metrics and export them via OTLP to Grafana Cloud. This is a good choice if you’re moving toward OpenTelemetry as a standard, or if you want a single collector that handles multiple telemetry types.

If you’re already running Carbon Relay, you can configure it to forward Graphite metrics directly to Grafana Cloud. This option is only recommended if you already have Carbon Relay in place. For new setups, use Grafana Alloy or OpenTelemetry instead.

Telegraf is simpler if you just need Graphite-to-Prometheus translation. OpenTelemetry is more flexible if you’re also handling logs and traces, or if you want to consolidate on a single collector. Carbon Relay is the right choice only if it’s already part of your infrastructure.

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