Collect host metrics

Use the OpenTelemetry Collector to send server metrics alongside your log management setup. In dashboard onboarding, choose OpenTelemetry → Host metrics.

Before you start

Copy the Hosted OpenTelemetry endpoint, username and password from your Logs stack's Endpoints page. Enable the Metrics add-on to store and view metrics. Requests sent without that add-on are accepted, but the metrics are not stored.

Install the Contrib Collector using the Linux or Windows installation steps. For metrics alone, the service does not need the log-file read permissions in those steps.

Configure the Collector

Save this configuration as /etc/otelcol-contrib/config.yaml on Linux or C:\Program Files\OpenTelemetry Collector\config.yaml on Windows. It matches the dashboard's host metrics configuration for both systems.

Replace the endpoint, username and password with your dashboard values. Change my-server to your server or service name.

extensions:
  basicauth/logit:
    client_auth:
      username: "<your-username>"
      password: "<your-password>"
 
receivers:
  hostmetrics:
    collection_interval: 30s
    scrapers:
      cpu: {}
      memory: {}
      disk: {}
      filesystem: {}
      network: {}
      load: {}
 
processors:
  resourcedetection:
    detectors: [system]
  resource/logit:
    attributes:
      - { key: service.name, value: "my-server", action: insert }
  batch: {}
 
exporters:
  otlphttp/logit:
    endpoint: "https://{stackId}-otel.logit.io"
    auth: { authenticator: basicauth/logit }
 
service:
  extensions: [basicauth/logit]
  pipelines:
    metrics:
      receivers: [hostmetrics]
      processors: [resourcedetection, resource/logit, batch]
      exporters: [otlphttp/logit]

The Collector samples every 30 seconds and adds host information with system resource detection. It exports using Basic auth and OTLP over HTTP on HTTPS port 443. Keep the base URL as shown, without a signal path or custom port. Hosted OpenTelemetry does not expose gRPC.

This is a metrics-only configuration. If the Collector already sends logs, merge the receiver, processors and metrics pipeline into its existing configuration. Keep the logs pipeline and share one basicauth/logit extension and otlphttp/logit exporter.

Restart and check metrics

Restart the Collector, then allow at least one collection interval. Check its logs for export errors.

Return to onboarding to check that metrics have arrived. Select Launch Metrics, open Grafana's Explore view and look for recent host metrics. If the dashboard offers Add Metrics, enable the add-on before checking Grafana.

For a 401 Unauthorized response, check the Hosted OpenTelemetry credentials. For connection errors, check outbound HTTPS access on port 443.

To collect log files as well, see Send server log files.

Send server log files Kubernetes