Docker Swarm Collector - Install

Prerequisites

Before installing the OpenTelemetry Collector, ensure you have:

• Docker Engine 20.10+ installed and running
• Docker Swarm initialized (run docker swarm init if not already)
• Administrative access to the Docker host/cluster

Installation

Step 1: Create Configuration Directory

Creates a dedicated directory to organize the OpenTelemetry Collector configuration file.

mkdir -p ~/opentelemetry-collector
cd ~/opentelemetry-collector

Step 2: Create Collector Configuration

Defines how the OpenTelemetry Collector receives, processes, and exports telemetry data to SigNoz.

Create config.yaml:

receivers:
  otlp:
    protocols:
      grpc:
        endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4317
      http:
        endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4318
processors:
  batch:

exporters:
  otlp:
    endpoint: "ingest.<YOUR_REGION>.signoz.cloud:443"
    tls:
      insecure: false
    headers:
      "signoz-ingestion-key": "<YOUR_INGESTION_KEY>"
  debug:
    verbosity: normal

extensions:
  health_check:
  pprof:
  zpages:

service:
  extensions: [health_check, pprof, zpages]
  pipelines:
    traces:
      receivers: [otlp]
      processors: [batch]
      exporters: [otlp]
    metrics:
      receivers: [otlp]
      processors: [batch]
      exporters: [otlp]
    logs:
      receivers: [otlp]
      processors: [batch]
      exporters: [otlp]

Step 3: Create a Docker Swarm Config

Adds the collector configuration to Swarm as a config object.

docker config create otelcol_config ./config.yaml

If you need to update it later, create a new config (for example otelcol_config_v2) and update the service to use the new one.

Step 4: Deploy the OpenTelemetry Collector Service

Starts the OpenTelemetry Collector as a Swarm service to receive and forward telemetry data to SigNoz.

docker service create \
  --name opentelemetry-collector \
  --detach=true \
  --restart-condition any \
  --publish target=4317,published=4317,protocol=tcp \
  --publish target=4318,published=4318,protocol=tcp \
  --config source=otelcol_config,target=/etc/otelcol-contrib/config.yaml,mode=0444 \
  otel/opentelemetry-collector-contrib:0.130.1

Optional: attach to an existing overlay network if your apps send data over that network:

docker service create \
  --name opentelemetry-collector \
  --network your_overlay_network \
  --publish target=4317,published=4317,protocol=tcp \
  --publish target=4318,published=4318,protocol=tcp \
  --config source=otelcol_config,target=/etc/otelcol-contrib/config.yaml,mode=0444 \
  otel/opentelemetry-collector-contrib:0.130.1

Verification

Check Collector Status

Verify that the OpenTelemetry Collector service is running and healthy.

List the service

docker service ls | grep opentelemetry-collector

Inspect tasks (replicas and placement)

docker service ps opentelemetry-collector

Check collector logs (from a task/container)

docker service logs -f opentelemetry-collector

You should see logs indicating successful startup and readiness to process data.

Next Steps

• Configure the Collector