Metrics

Learn how to ingest OTEL metrics with groundcover

groundcover fully supports the ingestion of metrics in the Open Telemetry format, displaying them as custom metrics in our platform, allowing to build custom dashboards and setting up alerts.

Ingestion From Kubernetes Pods

OTLP Metrics generated from Kubernetes pods can be ingested directly by our Custom Metrics deployment. Ingestion is supported by changing the exporter endpoint to the Custom Metrics Service Endpoint, sending it directly to our Victoria Metrics backend.

Finding the groundcover Custom Metrics Service Endpoint

Use the instructions here to locate the endpoint for the Custom Metrics service, referenced below as {GROUNDCOVER_CUSTOM_METRICS_ENDPOINT}.

Setting Up The Required Environment Variables

Change your deployments environments variables to the endpoint found above.

groundcover versions from 1.8.245

env:
  - name: OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_ENDPOINT
    value: "http://groundcover-sensor.groundcover.svc.cluster.local:4318/v1/metrics"
  - name: OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_PROTOCOL
    value: "http/protobuf"

groundcover versions before 1.8.245

For versions before 1.8.245, it is required to turn on custom-metrics to enable the OTLP metrics endpoint. See docs here.

 env:
  - name: OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_ENDPOINT
    value: "http://{GROUNDCOVER_CUSTOM_METRICS_ENDPOINT}:8429/opentelemetry/api/v1/push"
  - name: OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_METRICS_PROTOCOL
    value: "http/protobuf"

The method above only support HTTP protocol with protobuf payloads. If your SDK is sending data in other protocols or formats, it will not be ingested.