#Configuration Options

The OpenTelemetry Collector architecture consists of five primary component types that work together to handle telemetry data throughout its lifecycle:

• Receivers: Components that ingest telemetry data into the Collector
• Processors: Components that transform, filter, or enrich data as it flows through the pipeline
• Exporters: Components that send processed data to backend systems or destinations
• Connectors: Components that link pipeline segments by acting as both exporters and receivers
• Extensions: Optional components that provide auxiliary functionality without directly processing telemetry data

#Component Configuration

You can define multiple instances of each component type within a custom resource YAML file. However, components must be explicitly enabled through pipeline definitions in the spec.config.service section to become active.

#Configuration Example

The following example demonstrates a basic OpenTelemetry Collector configuration with OTLP receivers and multiple exporters:

apiVersion: opentelemetry.io/v1beta1
kind: OpenTelemetryCollector
metadata:
  name: cluster-collector
  namespace: tracing-system
spec:
  mode: deployment
  replicas: 1
  observability:
    metrics:
      enableMetrics: true
  config:
    receivers:
      otlp:
        protocols:
          grpc: {}
          http: {}
    processors: {}
    exporters:
      otlp:
        endpoint: otel-collector-headless.tracing-system.svc:4317
        tls:
          ca_file: "/var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/service-ca.crt"
      prometheus:
        endpoint: 0.0.0.0:8889
        resource_to_telemetry_conversion:
          enabled: true # by default resource attributes are dropped
    service:
      pipelines:
        traces:
          receivers: [otlp]
          processors: []
          exporters: [otlp]
        metrics:
          receivers: [otlp]
          processors: []
          exporters: [prometheus]

#Configuration Parameters

The following table describes the main configuration parameters used by the Operator to define the OpenTelemetry Collector:

#Pipeline Configuration

Pipelines are defined under service.pipelines and specify the flow of telemetry data through the Collector. Each pipeline type (traces, metrics, logs) can have its own set of receivers, processors, and exporters.

Example pipeline configuration:

service:
  pipelines:
    traces:
      receivers: [otlp, jaeger]
      processors: [batch, memory_limiter]
      exporters: [otlp, debug]
    metrics:
      receivers: [otlp, prometheus]
      processors: [batch]
      exporters: [prometheus]
    logs:
      receivers: [otlp]
      processors: [batch]
      exporters: [otlp]

Each pipeline independently processes its telemetry type, allowing you to configure different processing logic for traces, metrics, and logs based on your observability requirements.