To send logs from an existing logging library to OpenTelemetry, connect that library’s appender or handler to the OpenTelemetry Logs API, map each event into a LogRecord, and let the SDK process and export it. Encoding is only one layer: the bridge must preserve the record’s meaning, fit the SDK pipeline, and deliver data to a correctly configured OTLP destination.
What an OpenTelemetry logs bridge does
The Logs API is designed primarily for logging-library authors to build appenders that connect existing logging libraries to the OpenTelemetry log data model. An application’s normal logging calls can remain in place; the bridge intercepts records at the library’s integration point and emits them through OpenTelemetry. The API provides a LoggerProvider, which creates Logger instances, and those loggers emit LogRecords. OpenTelemetry Logs API
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This separation keeps application logging statements from depending directly on an OpenTelemetry-specific API. It also divides responsibilities: the bridge translates the source event, the SDK controls processing, and the exporter handles protocol-specific encoding and transmission.
Map the event before you think about serialization
The OpenTelemetry log data model is a logical representation, not a prescribed wire format. A JSON or Protobuf encoder can faithfully serialize a record and still produce a poor bridge if the record’s fields have been mapped incorrectly or discarded. Map source fields according to their meaning, and do not assume every logging-library field has a lossless equivalent. OpenTelemetry Logs Data Model
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At the library’s appender or handler, acquire an OpenTelemetry Logger and emit a LogRecord. OpenTelemetry’s supplementary guidance uses a Python logging Handler and a Go zap Core as examples of integration points. Supplementary Guidelines
For each source event, make deliberate decisions about:
- Timestamp: preserve the source event’s time where available rather than substituting a later processing time without reason.
- Severity: map the source level to the closest meaningful OpenTelemetry severity. Different libraries may use different level names and granularity.
- Body: retain the human-readable message or structured body in a way that does not silently collapse meaningful content.
- Attributes: map useful structured fields to attributes, taking care not to turn every piece of source metadata into an unbounded or misleading field.
- Resource identity: associate records with the entity producing them, such as the service identity configured for the SDK pipeline.
- Trace context: carry trace and span identifiers when the source event has valid context; do not invent identifiers for uncorrelated events.
These are semantic mapping choices, not merely field-name substitutions. An encoding format cannot recover context or distinctions the bridge discarded earlier.
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Bridge: receive and translate
The appender, handler, or equivalent integration receives a source-library event and translates it into the OpenTelemetry model. If a field is missing or has the wrong meaning in the emitted record, inspect this mapping first.
SDK processor: control record handling
The SDK receives emitted records and runs configured processors in registration order. Processors can form separate pipelines that end in individual exporters; the standard SDK specification describes simple and batch processors. Queue pressure, batching, and flush behavior belong to this stage rather than to the wire encoder. OpenTelemetry Logs SDK
The specification’s standard batch processor defaults are a maximum queue size of 2048 records, a scheduled delay of 1000 milliseconds, an export timeout of 30000 milliseconds, and a maximum export batch size of 512 records. These are specification defaults, not a guarantee that every language SDK version behaves identically at runtime. A full queue drops logs, so queue capacity and export throughput matter when a destination slows down.
Exporter: encode and deliver
The exporter implements the selected protocol. It owns protocol-specific delivery concerns, including concurrent requests and retry behavior. The SDK specification says exporters must not block indefinitely, and export calls for the same exporter instance should not run concurrently. If records are correctly mapped but fail to reach the receiver, investigate exporter configuration and destination behavior. OpenTelemetry Logs SDK
Choose direct export or Collector file ingestion
Direct application export and Collector ingestion solve related but different problems. A library bridge suits an application whose logging configuration can be changed and whose records should go directly into the Logs SDK. The Collector route suits existing applications where changing the logging integration is difficult or where text files remain an important operational artifact. OpenTelemetry describes the Collector as able to read and tail files, handle common rotation schemes, checkpoint positions, and parse common formats. OpenTelemetry Logging
| Consideration | Application appender or handler | Collector file ingestion |
|---|---|---|
| Application changes | Configure the logging library to emit through the Logs SDK. | Can collect existing logs without changing each application logging statement. |
| Local text files | Direct export can avoid representing logs as text files, but gives up the simplicity of a locally inspectable file. | Reads existing files, preserving them as the collection input. |
| Parsing | Maps events at the library integration point. | Reads, tails, and parses common file formats; can handle common rotation schemes and checkpoint positions. |
| Trace context | Can add trace context when available in the application’s logging context. | Reads the content available in the files; whether trace context can be recovered depends on what the application wrote. |
| Destination | Requires a destination that accepts the network protocol used by the exporter. | Uses a Collector as an intermediate collection point. |
| Processing and delivery responsibilities | The SDK processors handle processing; the exporter owns protocol delivery behavior. | The Collector handles file collection and parsing; downstream processing and export depend on its configured pipeline. |
Neither route is established as universally faster, cheaper, or more reliable. The appropriate choice depends on whether the application can be changed, whether local files are required, how complex the source format is, and where the receiving pipeline should run.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Understand OTLP encoding and endpoint configuration
OTLP 1.11.0 is stable for logs and specifies Protobuf schemas plus gRPC and HTTP transports. For OTLP/HTTP, the payload may be binary Protobuf or JSON-encoded Protobuf, using the same underlying message schema. Log requests use the default /v1/logs path and carry an ExportLogsServiceRequest body. OTLP Specification 1.11.0
Binary Protobuf uses the application/x-protobuf content type. JSON follows Protobuf JSON mapping with OTLP-specific rules: traceId and spanId are hexadecimal strings, and enum values must be integers rather than enum-name strings. A generic JSON serializer that emits enum names may therefore create a payload that looks reasonable but does not follow OTLP’s JSON requirements. OTLP Specification 1.11.0
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The exporter documentation lists grpc, http/protobuf, and http/json as transport values. SDKs should support gRPC and HTTP Protobuf; they may support HTTP JSON, so verify support for the specific SDK you use. OpenTelemetry Protocol Exporter
Endpoint configuration depends on the transport. With OTLP/HTTP, a base endpoint is used to construct signal-specific paths such as /v1/logs; a signal-specific logs endpoint can include that path. For gRPC, configure a gRPC target rather than appending an HTTP signal path. Environment-variable configuration also varies by language SDK. OTLP Exporter Configuration
Test the boundaries that can fail
A useful bridge test checks both the emitted record and the behavior of the full pipeline. Use a real OTLP receiver or a protocol-aware test harness rather than treating console output as a wire-format contract.
- Check that timestamp, severity, body, attributes, and resource identity retain their intended meanings.
- Verify trace and span identifiers when the source event has trace context.
- For OTLP/HTTP JSON, check hexadecimal trace and span IDs and integer enum values.
- Confirm the HTTP request reaches the expected logs path, or that the gRPC target is configured without an HTTP signal path.
- Exercise queue pressure and flush behavior so that drops and timeouts are visible rather than surprising.
- Check the destination’s authentication, availability, and response behavior against the chosen exporter.
When a check fails, follow the ownership boundary: incorrect meanings or lost fields usually point to mapping; queue and flush symptoms point to processing; wire format, endpoint, authentication, and retries point to the exporter or destination. This is a diagnostic framework derived from the documented component responsibilities.
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Check language and framework maturity
The OpenTelemetry specification status summary marks the Logs API, SDK, and protocol stable, while noting that appenders are under development in many languages. Stable foundations therefore do not establish that every language or logging-framework integration is equally mature. Confirm the specific integration and its SDK support before selecting an implementation. Specification Status Summary
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