> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Demo OTel Collector Installation > How to download, configure, and run OpenTelemetry Collector otelcol-contrib on Linux ARM64 to receive OTLP traces and metrics with a minimal config. This lesson shows how to download, extract, configure, and run the OpenTelemetry Collector binary (`otelcol-contrib`) on a Linux ARM64 host. You'll learn how to pick the right release, place a minimal config file, and start the collector to receive OTLP telemetry (traces and metrics). Overview * Select the correct release for your OS/architecture from the OpenTelemetry Collector Releases on GitHub: [https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases) * Download the appropriate tarball (example used in this lesson: `otelcol-contrib_0.135.0_linux_arm64.tar.gz`) * Extract the tarball and run `otelcol-contrib` with a configuration file (`--config`) Ensure you download the binary that matches your OS and CPU architecture (for example, `linux/amd64` vs `linux/arm64`). This lesson demonstrates the Linux/ARM64 tarball. ## Quick commands (summary) | Step | Command / Action | Notes | | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | Download release | See the Releases page above | Pick the tarball for your platform | | Extract tarball | `tar -xzf otelcol-contrib_0.135.0_linux_arm64.tar.gz` | Produces the `otelcol-contrib` binary (and docs) | | Start collector | `./otelcol-contrib --config=config.yaml` | `--config` points to the collector config file | | Validate config | `./otelcol-contrib validate --config=config.yaml` | Validate config without running | ## 1) Download and extract the release tarball From the GitHub Releases page, download the tarball matching your platform. Example filename used in this lesson: `otelcol-contrib_0.135.0_linux_arm64.tar.gz` Extract the tarball (run from the directory containing the downloaded file): ```bash theme={null} user1@prometheus1:~/opentelemetry$ tar -xzf otelcol-contrib_0.135.0_linux_arm64.tar.gz ``` After extraction you will have the `otelcol-contrib` binary (plus documentation). The binary is all that’s required for this demo. ## 2) Check flags and required config If you run the collector without a configuration file, it will exit with an error: ```bash theme={null} user1@prometheus1:~/opentelemetry$ ./otelcol-contrib Error: at least one config flag must be provided 2025/09/29 21:59:02 collector server run finished with error: at least one config flag must be provided ``` To view available flags and commands: ```bash theme={null} user1@prometheus1:~/opentelemetry$ ./otelcol-contrib --help Usage: otelcol-contrib [flags] otelcol-contrib [command] Available Commands: completion Generate the autocompletion script for the specified shell components Outputs available components in this collector distribution featuregate Display feature gates information help Help about any command print-initial-config Prints the Collector's configuration in YAML format after all config sources are resolved and merged validate Validates the config without running the collector Flags: --config string Locations to the config file(s), e.g. --config=file:/path/to/first --config=file:/path/to/second -v, --version Print version for otelcol-contrib ... [other flags omitted for brevity] ``` Note: the important flag is `--config` (or `--config=file:/path/to/config.yaml`), which tells the collector where to load its configuration. ## 3) Minimal configuration example Create a minimal `config.yaml` that accepts OTLP telemetry (traces and metrics) and uses the `debug` exporter (prints telemetry to the console). Save this file in the same directory as the `otelcol-contrib` binary: ```yaml theme={null} receivers: otlp: protocols: grpc: endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4317 http: endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4318 exporters: debug: verbosity: detailed service: pipelines: traces: receivers: [otlp] exporters: [debug] metrics: receivers: [otlp] exporters: [debug] ``` This minimal config is useful for testing and local development. For production deployments you will typically add processors, exporters (e.g., OTLP/gRPC to backends), and security settings. ## 4) Start the collector with the config Run the collector and point it at the config file: ```bash theme={null} user1@prometheus1:~/opentelemetry$ ./otelcol-contrib --config=config.yaml ``` Representative startup logs: ```bash theme={null} 2025-09-29T22:01:13.368Z info service@v0.135.0/service.go:211 Starting otelcol-contrib {"service.name":"otelcol-contrib","service.version":"0.135.0","NumCPU":2} 2025-09-29T22:01:13.368Z info extensions/extensions.go:41 Starting extensions {"version":"0.135.0","service.name":"otelcol-contrib"} 2025-09-29T22:01:13.368Z info otlpreceiver/otlp.go:121 Starting OTLP receiver {"version":"0.135.0","service.name":"otelcol-contrib"} 2025-09-29T22:01:13.368Z info otlptracereceiver/otlp.go:179 Starting HTTP server {"service.name":"otelcol-contrib","endpoint":"[::]:4318"} 2025-09-29T22:01:13.368Z info otlpreceiver/otlp.go:279 Starting gRPC server {"service.name":"otelcol-contrib","endpoint":"[::]:4317"} 2025-09-29T22:01:13.368Z info service.go:234 Everything is ready. Begin running and processing data. ``` From the config and logs you can verify: * OTLP gRPC is listening on port `4317` * OTLP HTTP is listening on port `4318` * The `debug` exporter logs telemetry to stdout for inspection Ports and endpoints | Protocol | Endpoint | Use case | | --------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | | OTLP gRPC | `localhost:4317` | gRPC-based OTLP clients | | OTLP HTTP | `http://localhost:4318` | HTTP-based OTLP clients | ## 5) Validate and troubleshoot * Validate configuration without running the collector: ```bash theme={null} ./otelcol-contrib validate --config=config.yaml ``` * If the collector fails to start, check: * Binary architecture vs OS/CPU (ARM64 vs AMD64) * File permissions (make binary executable: `chmod +x otelcol-contrib`) * Config syntax and indentation (YAML errors) * Port conflicts on `4317` / `4318` If you see startup errors related to configuration or ports, use the `validate` command and inspect the logs printed by the `debug` exporter. Also confirm the downloaded binary matches your system architecture. ## 6) Next steps * Send telemetry to the collector: * gRPC OTLP clients -> `localhost:4317` * HTTP OTLP clients -> `http://localhost:4318` * For production usage, extend the configuration with processors (batching, sampling), secure receivers (TLS/auth), and exporters to your backend (e.g., OTLP/gRPC to an observability platform). * Explore `otelcol-contrib components` to list available receivers/exporters/processors in the binary. Links and references * OpenTelemetry Collector Releases: [https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases) * OpenTelemetry Collector documentation: [https://opentelemetry.io/docs/collector/](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/collector/)