Prerequisites for configuring Instana with OpenTelemetry

Instana and OpenTelemetry are powerful tools for observability and distributed tracing. To configure Instana with OpenTelemetry, make sure that the following prerequisites are met.

Instana agent

The Instana agent collects data from your applications and sends it to the Instana backend. You must install the agent on your application servers.

  • Download the Instana agent that is compatible with your operating system and architecture from the Instana portal.
  • For more information on agents and installation, see Installing Instana agents.
  • Make sure that the agent is running and connected to your Instana backend.

Instana backend

  • Your data is stored and analyzed on Instana backend.
  • You must have an Instana account or create a new account with access to the backend.

OpenTelemetry

  • OpenTelemetry SDK: This library integrates with your applications to instrument them for tracing. You must choose the SDK that is compatible with your programming language, for example, Java, NodeJS, C++, and so on.

  • OpenTelemetry Exporter: This component sends the collected trace data to the backend. For Instana, you must use the OpenTelemetry exporter.

  • Application Instrumentation: Your applications must be instrumented with OpenTelemetry to capture data for tracing. This involves adding calls to the OpenTelemetry SDK in your application code.

  • Network Connectivity: Your applications must have network connectivity with the Instana backend and the OpenTelemetry Collector or exporter.