Install the OpenTelemetry Collector

The OpenTelemetry Collector is a vendor-neutral service that receives, processes, and exports telemetry data. It is often the easiest way to standardize telemetry flow before sending data to KloudMate.

Recommendation

For the easiest setup and best out-of-the-box experience, we strongly recommend using the KloudMate Agent. It is a pre-configured, optimized version of the OpenTelemetry Collector that seamlessly integrates with the KloudMate platform. You should only use the native OpenTelemetry Collector if you have specific infrastructure requirements that demand it.

When to Use the Native Collector

While the KloudMate Agent is the preferred method, using the native OpenTelemetry Collector is a great alternative when you need to:

• Integrate with an existing OpenTelemetry infrastructure
• Maintain a strict vendor-neutral observability pipeline
• Route telemetry to multiple vendor destinations simultaneously
• Utilize experimental or community-contributed components from the otelcol-contrib project

Prerequisites

• A Linux or Windows system where the Collector can be installed
• Permission to install packages or services on that system

Install on Linux

OpenTelemetry Collector releases are available in multiple package formats and architectures. See the official Collector releases for the latest packages. You can also visit the OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib GitHub project to explore available components and source code.

Every Collector release includes Debian and RPM packages for common Linux architectures. After installation, the default configuration is typically available at /etc/otelcol-contrib/config.yaml.

Note

Installing the Collector with the system package manager is recommended because it sets up the service automatically.

Debian-Based Systems

Example installation for amd64:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -y install wget systemctl
wget https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/download/v0.151.0/otelcol-contrib_0.151.0_linux_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i otelcol-contrib_0.151.0_linux_amd64.deb

Example installation for arm64:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -y install wget systemctl
wget https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/download/v0.151.0/otelcol-contrib_0.151.0_linux_arm64.deb
sudo dpkg -i otelcol-contrib_0.151.0_linux_arm64.deb

RPM-Based Systems

Example installation for amd64:

sudo yum update
sudo yum -y install wget systemctl
wget https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/download/v0.151.0/otelcol-contrib_0.151.0_linux_amd64.rpm
sudo rpm -ivh otelcol-contrib_0.151.0_linux_amd64.rpm

Example installation for arm64:

sudo yum update
sudo yum -y install wget systemctl
wget https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/download/v0.151.0/otelcol-contrib_0.151.0_linux_arm64.rpm
sudo rpm -ivh otelcol-contrib_0.151.0_linux_arm64.rpm

Install on Windows

1. Open the official Collector releases.
2. Download the Windows installer for the required architecture.
3. Run the installer as an administrator.
4. Complete the installation wizard.

The otelcol-contrib.exe binary is also available in release artifacts if you want to run it directly after unpacking.

Next Step

After installation, continue with Configure the Collector for KloudMate.