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Troubleshooting Missing Telemetry Data

This guide provides a systematic approach to debug telemetry pipeline issues by starting with Grafana dashboards, then moving to the OpenTelemetry Collector, and finally to your application.

Step 1: Check OTel Collector Data Flow Dashboard​

Start by checking the OTel Collector Data Flow dashboard in Grafana.

If No Data in Dashboard​

There's an issue in the pipeline. Check the collector logs.

Viewing Collector Logs​

Docker:

docker logs otel-collector --tail=100

Kubernetes:

kubectl logs <otel-collector-pod-name> -n <namespace> --tail=100

Linux Service:

sudo journalctl -u otel-collector -n 100

What to Look For in Logs​

Successful startup:

Everything is ready. Begin running and processing data.

Configuration errors:

error decoding config
invalid configuration

Authentication errors:

rpc error: code = Unauthenticated
401 Unauthorized

Connection errors:

connection refused
failed to connect

If logs show errors: Validate your collector configuration using:

otelcol validate --config=/path/to/otel-collector-config.yaml

Or use otelbin.io.

If no errors in logs and application is not throwing errors: Verify the receiver is configured in the pipeline:

service:
  pipelines:
    metrics:
      receivers: [otlp]  # Ensure your receiver is listed
      exporters: [otlp]

If Data Appears in Dashboard​

Proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Check Metrics Collected Dashboard​

Go to the Metrics Collected dashboard and select your environment.

If You See Your Service and Data​

Your telemetry is flowing correctly. Use the correct filters and dashboard options to view your data.

If No Data for Your Service​

Check your application logs to verify it's successfully exporting telemetry.

Look for:

  • OpenTelemetry SDK initialization messages
  • Successful telemetry export confirmations
  • Any SDK errors or warnings

If application shows no errors: Verify the receiver is used in the collector pipeline (see Step 1).

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