MongoDB Metrics Collection with OTel Collector

Overview

This guide explains how to set up MongoDB metrics collection using OTel Collector and forward them to Base14 Scout backend.

Prerequisites

1. MongoDB instance (standalone or replica set)
2. MongoDB user with clusterMonitor role
3. OpenTelemetry Collector installed
4. Base14 Scout access credentials

MongoDB User Setup

Create a dedicated MongoDB user with the clusterMonitor role:

use admin
db.createUser({
  user:${MONGO_USER},
  pwd: ${MONGO_PASSWORD},
  roles: [
    { role: "clusterMonitor", db: "admin" },
  ]
})

Otel Collector Configuration

receivers:
  mongodb:
    hosts:
      - endpoint: localhost:27017  # Update with your MongoDB host
    username: ${MONGO_USER}
    password: ${MONGO_PASSWORD}
    collection_interval: 60s
    timeout: 10s
    
    # TLS Configuration
    tls:  
      insecure: true
      insecure_skip_verify: true    

    direct_connection: true  # false for replica sets
    
    # Metrics Configuration (Some metrics are disabled by default)
    mongodb.uptime:
      enabled: true

processors:
  resource:
    attributes:
    - key: environment
      value: ${ENVIRONMENT}
      action: upsert
    - key: service.name
      value: ${SERVICE_NAME}
      action: upsert
    
  batch:
    timeout: 10s
    send_batch_size: 1024

# Export to Base14 Scout
exporters:
  otlphttp/b14:
    endpoint: ${OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT}
    auth:
      authenticator: oauth2client
    tls:
      insecure_skip_verify: true


extensions:
  oauth2client:
    client_id: ${OAUTH2_CLIENT_ID}
    client_secret: ${OAUTH2_CLIENT_SECRET}
    token_url: ${OAUTH2_TOKEN_URL}
    endpoint_params:
      audience: b14collector
    tls:
      insecure_skip_verify: true

service:
  extensions: [oauth2client]
  pipelines:
    metrics:
      receivers: [mongodb]
      processors: [batch, resource]
      exporters: [otlphttp/b14]

Verification

1. Check collector logs for errors

2. Verify metrics in Base14 Scout dashboard

3. Test MongoDB connectivity:

   mongosh "mongodb://${MONGO_USER}:${MONGO_PASSWORD}@localhost:27017/"\
     "admin?authSource=admin" --eval "db.serverStatus().ok"

References

1. Base14 OpenTelemetry Collector Setup