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OTEL-014: memory_limiter should be first processor in pipeline

Severity: warn (advisory)

Rule Details​

The whole point of memory_limiter is to refuse new work when the Collector is already over its soft limit. If processors that allocate (transform, attributes, tail_sampling) run before the limiter, they have already spent memory by the time the limiter kicks in — defeating the back-pressure. Put memory_limiter first so it rejects early.

This rule fires when a pipeline contains memory_limiter and it is not the first processor.

Options​

This rule has no options.

Examples​

Avoid
service:
  pipelines:
    traces:
      receivers: [otlp]
      processors: [attributes, memory_limiter, batch]  # memory_limiter not first
      exporters: [otlp/backend]
Prefer
service:
  pipelines:
    traces:
      receivers: [otlp]
      processors: [memory_limiter, attributes, batch]
      exporters: [otlp/backend]

When Not To Use It​

There is no sane exception — if memory_limiter is in the pipeline at all, it should be first.

  • OTEL-001 — memory_limiter processor must be configured
  • OTEL-002 — memory_limiter must be included in every pipeline
  • OTEL-013 — batch processor should be last in pipeline

Version​

Available since augur v0.1.0.

Further Reading​

Resources​