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OTEL-001: memory_limiter processor must be configured

Severity: deny (blocking)

Rule Details​

The memory_limiter processor is the Collector's safety valve against out-of-memory kills. Without it, a slow exporter, a traffic burst, or a stuck sending queue can push the process past its cgroup limit and get SIGKILL'd — dropping every batch in flight and taking observability down at the worst possible moment.

This rule fires when no memory_limiter processor is declared in the top-level processors section.

Options​

This rule has no options.

Examples​

Incorrect
processors:
  batch:
    timeout: 1s
Correct
processors:
  memory_limiter:
    check_interval: 5s
    limit_percentage: 80
    spike_limit_percentage: 25
  batch:
    timeout: 1s

When Not To Use It​

Short-lived test runs, one-shot config imports, or throwaway sidecars where OOM restart is acceptable. For any long-running production Collector you should leave this rule enabled.

  • OTEL-002 — memory_limiter must be included in every pipeline
  • OTEL-014 — memory_limiter should be first processor
  • OTEL-027 — memory_limiter check_interval is 0 or unset
  • OTEL-028 — spike_limit_mib >= limit_mib
  • OTEL-029 — neither limit_mib nor limit_percentage set

Version​

Available since augur v0.1.0.

Further Reading​

Resources​