sentry-otel-exporter-setup

Sentry OTel Exporter Setup

Terminology: Always capitalize “Sentry Exporter” when referring to the exporter component.

Configure the OpenTelemetry Collector to send traces and logs to Sentry using the Sentry Exporter.

Setup Overview

Copy this checklist to track your progress:

OTel Exporter Setup:
- [ ] Step 1: Check for existing configuration
- [ ] Step 2: Check collector version and install if needed
- [ ] Step 3: Configure project creation settings
- [ ] Step 4: Write collector config
- [ ] Step 5: Add environment variable placeholders
- [ ] Step 6: Run the collector
- [ ] Step 7: Verify setup
- [ ] Step 8: Enable trace connectedness with OTLPIntegration (Python/Ruby/Node.js)

Step 1: Check for Existing Configuration

Search for existing OpenTelemetry Collector configs by looking for YAML files containing receivers:. Also check for files named otel-collector-config.*, collector-config.*, or otelcol.*.

If an existing config is found: Ask the user which approach they want:

• Modify existing config: Add Sentry Exporter to the existing file (recommended to avoid duplicates)
• Create separate config: Keep existing config unchanged and create a new one for testing

Wait for the user’s answer and record their choice before proceeding to Step 2. The rest of the workflow depends on this decision.

If no config exists: Note that you’ll create a new collector-config.yaml in Step 4, then proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Check Collector Version

The Sentry Exporter requires otelcol-contrib v0.145.0 or later.

Check for existing collector

1. Run which otelcol-contrib to check if it’s on PATH, or check for ./otelcol-contrib in the project
2. If found, run the appropriate version command and parse the version number
3. Record the collector path (e.g., otelcol-contrib if on PATH, or ./otelcol-contrib if local) for use in later steps

Existing Version	Action
≥ 0.145.0	Skip to Step 3 — existing collector is compatible
< 0.145.0	Proceed with installation below
Not installed	Proceed with installation below