Skip to main content

OTEL-022: Unused processor

Severity: warn (advisory)

Rule Details​

A processor defined but not referenced in any pipeline is dead config — it is not applied to any data and no optimization happens. Most often this is the symptom of forgetting to wire memory_limiter or batch into a new pipeline you just added.

This rule fires when a processor is declared but not used by any pipeline.

Options​

This rule has no options.

Examples​

Avoid
processors:
  memory_limiter:
    check_interval: 5s
    limit_percentage: 80
  batch:
    timeout: 1s
  attributes:                          # declared but never used
    actions:
      - key: env
        value: production
        action: upsert

service:
  pipelines:
    traces:
      receivers: [otlp]
      processors: [memory_limiter, batch]
      exporters: [otlp/backend]
Prefer
processors:
  memory_limiter:
    check_interval: 5s
    limit_percentage: 80
  batch:
    timeout: 1s
  attributes:
    actions:
      - key: env
        value: production
        action: upsert

service:
  pipelines:
    traces:
      receivers: [otlp]
      processors: [memory_limiter, attributes, batch]
      exporters: [otlp/backend]

When Not To Use It​

Rarely. If a processor is staged for a future rollout, wire it into a disabled pipeline or gate it at templating time so intent is visible.

  • OTEL-020 — unused receiver
  • OTEL-021 — unused exporter
  • OTEL-002 — memory_limiter must be included in every pipeline

Version​

Available since augur v0.1.0.

Further Reading​

Resources​