Add documentation for Elastic Agent as an OTel Collector by vishaangelova · Pull Request #5545 · elastic/docs-content

vishaangelova · 2026-03-18T15:33:40Z

Summary

This PR adds a new “Elastic Agent as an OTel Collector” document with details about:

Elastic Agent using OTel runtime for agent self-monitoring from v9.3
Architectural changes and the Beats receivers as OTel receivers
Elastic Agent as a hybrid agent and OTel integrations
A comparison between the collector options available for ingesting OTel data
FAQ

Resolves elastic/ingest-docs#1882

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Tool(s) and model(s) used: Cursor with claude-4.5-sonnet and Auto models

github-actions · 2026-03-18T15:34:53Z

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github-actions · 2026-03-18T15:36:54Z

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reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

vishaangelova · 2026-03-18T15:45:59Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+        endpoints:
+            - https://example.com
+
+exporters:


Should the exporter section include an elasticsearch exporter if the output section already includes the ES output? For this configuration example I used the snippet from https://github.com/elastic/elastic-agent/blob/main/docs/hybrid-agent-beats-receivers.md#hybrid-agent.

vishaangelova · 2026-03-18T15:47:46Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+
+Data collected by a Beat receiver is written by the {{es}} exporter. As with traditional {{agent}} and {{beats}}, this data is processed by ingest pipelines, schematized, and stored in the appropriate data stream.
+
+Data collected by an OTel-native receiver follows OpenTelemetry semantic conventions. When this data arrives at the Elastic cluster, it bypasses ingest pipelines and is stored directly in an OTel-specific data stream.


@nimarezainia is this statement correct? You had a comment in your draft google doc which said this might need clarification.

vishaangelova · 2026-03-18T15:52:38Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+A standalone hybrid {{agent}} can enroll into {{fleet}} in the field if an in-place upgrade to {{fleet}}-managed is required. The standalone EDOT Collector does not support enrollment into {{fleet}}.
+:::
+
+## Frequently asked questions [faq]


Should we rather move this section to a separate doc positioned under this one? I think keeping the FAQ here makes the Q&A pairs more visible.

I'd rather not have an FAQ as a pattern unless we deem it strictly necessary.

theletterf

Great work! First review pass.

theletterf · 2026-03-20T15:35:08Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+---
+
+# {{agent}} as an OpenTelemetry Collector [elastic-agent-otel-collector]
+


Guess you thought about this, but... Section-level applies to?

theletterf · 2026-03-20T15:36:22Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+
+# {{agent}} as an OpenTelemetry Collector [elastic-agent-otel-collector]
+
+Starting with version 9.3, {{agent}} runs on the [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry (EDOT) Collector](elastic-agent://reference/edot-collector/index.md) internally. Rather than managing separate {{beats}} sub-processes, the agent now runs data collection inside an embedded OpenTelemetry (OTel) Collector process, leveraging the extensibility and interoperability of the OTel ecosystem. This new architecture brings OTel capabilities while maintaining compatibility with existing {{beats}}-based workflows and integrations.


Suggested change

Starting with version 9.3, {{agent}} runs on the [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry (EDOT) Collector](elastic-agent://reference/edot-collector/index.md) internally. Rather than managing separate {{beats}} sub-processes, the agent now runs data collection inside an embedded OpenTelemetry (OTel) Collector process, leveraging the extensibility and interoperability of the OTel ecosystem. This new architecture brings OTel capabilities while maintaining compatibility with existing {{beats}}-based workflows and integrations.

Starting with version 9.3, {{agent}} runs the [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry (EDOT) Collector](elastic-agent://reference/edot-collector/index.md). Rather than managing separate {{beats}} sub-processes, the agent collects data through an embedded OpenTelemetry (OTel) Collector process, leveraging the extensibility and interoperability of the OTel ecosystem. This architecture brings OTel capabilities while maintaining compatibility with existing {{beats}}-based workflows and integrations.

theletterf · 2026-03-20T15:40:18Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+Previously {{agent}} acted as a supervisor that launched and managed individual {{beats}} processes to collect telemetry ({{filebeat}}, {{metricbeat}}, and others), each running as a separate sub-process. 
+
+With the new {{agent}} OTel Collector architecture:


I would focus just on the present. I'm not sure if the past architecture is relevant.

theletterf · 2026-03-20T15:40:46Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+With the new {{agent}} OTel Collector architecture:
+
+*  {{agent}} embeds the EDOT Collector as its runtime, eliminating the overhead associated with managing separate sub-processes.
+* Instead of running as individual {{beats}} processes, Beat inputs can run inside the EDOT Collector as [Beat receivers](#beat-receivers).


Suggested change

* Instead of running as individual {{beats}} processes, Beat inputs can run inside the EDOT Collector as [Beat receivers](#beat-receivers).

* Instead of running as individual {{beats}} processes, Beats inputs can run inside the EDOT Collector as [Beat receivers](#beat-receivers).

Beat can be used without 's'?

theletterf · 2026-03-20T15:41:15Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+:alt: Diagram showing data ingestion with Beat receivers and OTel receivers as part of an OTel Collector
+:::
+
+:::{note}


Applies_to for admonitions?

theletterf · 2026-03-20T15:42:13Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+
+## Beat receivers [beat-receivers]
+
+A _Beat receiver_ is a Beat input and its associated processors, wrapped to run as an OTel receiver inside the EDOT Collector. Beat receivers produce the exact same data, formatted according to the [Elastic Common Schema](ecs://reference/index.md) (ECS), as current Beat inputs — they do not output data in the OTLP schema.


Suggested change

A _Beat receiver_ is a Beat input and its associated processors, wrapped to run as an OTel receiver inside the EDOT Collector. Beat receivers produce the exact same data, formatted according to the [Elastic Common Schema](ecs://reference/index.md) (ECS), as current Beat inputs — they do not output data in the OTLP schema.

A _Beat receiver_ is a Beat input and its associated processors, wrapped to run as an OTel receiver inside the EDOT Collector. Beat receivers produce the exact same data, formatted according to the [Elastic Common Schema](ecs://reference/index.md) (ECS), as current Beat inputs. Beat receivers don't output data in the OTLP schema.

theletterf · 2026-03-20T15:44:03Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+:alt: Beat input configuration translated into an OTel configuration
+:::
+
+## {{agent}} as a hybrid agent [hybrid-elastic-agent]


This in my reads different than "EA as an OTel Collector". Could we make it more compatible, like "Hybrid data collection"?

theletterf · 2026-03-20T15:45:07Z

reference/fleet/elastic-agent-as-otel-collector.md

+A standalone hybrid {{agent}} can enroll into {{fleet}} in the field if an in-place upgrade to {{fleet}}-managed is required. The standalone EDOT Collector does not support enrollment into {{fleet}}.
+:::
+
+## Frequently asked questions [faq]


I'd rather not have an FAQ as a pattern unless we deem it strictly necessary.

vishaangelova requested a review from nimarezainia March 18, 2026 15:33

github-actions bot deployed to docs-preview March 18, 2026 15:34 View deployment

Add details about Elastic Agent as an OTel Collector

d2d234c

vishaangelova force-pushed the 1882-document-hybrid-agent branch from 6db2445 to d2d234c Compare March 18, 2026 15:41

github-actions bot deployed to docs-preview March 18, 2026 15:44 View deployment

vishaangelova commented Mar 18, 2026

View reviewed changes

Merge branch 'main' into 1882-document-hybrid-agent

d24fe04

vishaangelova marked this pull request as ready for review March 18, 2026 15:58

vishaangelova requested a review from a team as a code owner March 18, 2026 15:58

github-actions bot deployed to docs-preview March 18, 2026 15:58 View deployment

karenzone self-requested a review March 19, 2026 12:57

theletterf requested changes Mar 20, 2026

View reviewed changes


		Data collected by a Beat receiver is written by the {{es}} exporter. As with traditional {{agent}} and {{beats}}, this data is processed by ingest pipelines, schematized, and stored in the appropriate data stream.

		Data collected by an OTel-native receiver follows OpenTelemetry semantic conventions. When this data arrives at the Elastic cluster, it bypasses ingest pipelines and is stored directly in an OTel-specific data stream.

		---

		# {{agent}} as an OpenTelemetry Collector [elastic-agent-otel-collector]


		# {{agent}} as an OpenTelemetry Collector [elastic-agent-otel-collector]

		Starting with version 9.3, {{agent}} runs on the [Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry (EDOT) Collector](elastic-agent://reference/edot-collector/index.md) internally. Rather than managing separate {{beats}} sub-processes, the agent now runs data collection inside an embedded OpenTelemetry (OTel) Collector process, leveraging the extensibility and interoperability of the OTel ecosystem. This new architecture brings OTel capabilities while maintaining compatibility with existing {{beats}}-based workflows and integrations.

		Previously {{agent}} acted as a supervisor that launched and managed individual {{beats}} processes to collect telemetry ({{filebeat}}, {{metricbeat}}, and others), each running as a separate sub-process.

		With the new {{agent}} OTel Collector architecture:

	* Instead of running as individual {{beats}} processes, Beat inputs can run inside the EDOT Collector as [Beat receivers](#beat-receivers).
	* Instead of running as individual {{beats}} processes, Beats inputs can run inside the EDOT Collector as [Beat receivers](#beat-receivers).


		## Beat receivers [beat-receivers]

		A _Beat receiver_ is a Beat input and its associated processors, wrapped to run as an OTel receiver inside the EDOT Collector. Beat receivers produce the exact same data, formatted according to the [Elastic Common Schema](ecs://reference/index.md) (ECS), as current Beat inputs — they do not output data in the OTLP schema.

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vishaangelova commented Mar 18, 2026

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