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OTEL-021: Unused exporter

Severity: warn (advisory)

Rule Details​

An exporter defined but not referenced in any pipeline never flushes data. The Collector allocates it, the CI passes, and nobody notices that the new backend is receiving zero telemetry. Delete or wire the exporter up.

This rule fires when an exporter is declared but not used by any pipeline.

Options​

This rule has no options.

Examples​

Avoid
exporters:
  otlp/backend:
    endpoint: backend:4317
  otlp/unused:                         # never wired into a pipeline
    endpoint: other.example.com:4317

service:
  pipelines:
    traces:
      receivers: [otlp]
      exporters: [otlp/backend]
Prefer
exporters:
  otlp/backend:
    endpoint: backend:4317

service:
  pipelines:
    traces:
      receivers: [otlp]
      exporters: [otlp/backend]

When Not To Use It​

Pre-staged exporters for a cutover (old backend → new backend) may sit unused for a window. Acknowledge the warning until the cutover lands.

Version​

Available since augur v0.1.0.

Further Reading​

Resources​