Installing OpenTelemetry on Kubernetes in 7 Easy Steps

Installing OpenTelemetry on Kubernetes: Step-by-Step Guide

Observability is crucial in managing modern cloud applications. OpenTelemetry provides powerful tools to enhance the observability of systems running on Kubernetes. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing OpenTelemetry on Kubernetes.

Prerequisites

An operational Kubernetes cluster (version 1.16 or higher)
Kubectl command-line tool configured and operational
Helm package manager installed

Steps to Install OpenTelemetry

Step 1: Setup the OpenTelemetry Collector

The OpenTelemetry Collector is a crucial component for processing, exporting, and collecting telemetry data. Begin by downloading the latest OpenTelemetry Collector release from the official site.

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector/releases/download/v0.32.0/otel-collector.yaml

Step 2: Deploy the OpenTelemetry Operator

The Operator simplifies the management of OpenTelemetry resources. Install it using Helm:

helm repo add open-telemetry https://open-telemetry.github.io/opentelemetry-helm-charts helm install my-opentelemetry open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator

Step 3: Configure OpenTelemetry Custom Resources

Create a YAML file with the OpenTelemetry configuration describing how to collect and export data. The structure is flexible to adapt according to your needs.