Advanced Configuration

1. Introduction

This guide provides a detailed overview of configuring and using the otel tool effectively. This tool allows you to set various configuration options, build your projects, and customize your workflow for optimal performance.

2. Commands

otel set

The primary method of configuring the tool is through the otel set command. This command allows you to specify various settings tailored to your needs:

Verbose Logging: Enable verbose logging to receive detailed output from the tool, which is helpful for troubleshooting and understanding the tool's processes.

  $ otel set -verbose

Debug Mode: Turn on debug mode to gather debug-level insights and information.

  $ otel set -debug

Multiple Configurations: Set multiple configurations at once. For instance, enable both debug and verbose modes while using a custom rule file:

  $ otel set -debug -verbose -rule=custom.json

Custom Rules Only: Disable the default rule set and apply only specific custom rules. This is particularly useful when you need a tailored rule set for your project. Note that base.json is inevitable to be enabled, even if it is explicitly disabled. If you are interested in custom rules, please refer to this document.

  $ otel set -disable=all -rule=custom.json

Disable Specific Rules: Disable specific default rules while keeping others enabled. This allows fine-grained control over which instrumentation rules are applied.

  $ otel set -disable=gorm.json,redis.json

Enable All Rules: Enable all rules.

  $ otel set -disable=

Combination of Default and Custom Rules: Use both the default rules and custom rules to provide a comprehensive configuration:

  $ otel set -rule=custom.json

Multiple Rule Files: Combine multiple custom rule files along with the default rules, which can be specified as a comma-separated list:

  $ otel set -rule=a.json,b.json

Using Environment Variables: In addition to using the otel set command, configuration can also be overridden using environment variables. For example, the OTELTOOL_DEBUG environment variable allows you to force the tool into debug mode temporarily, making this approach effective for one-time configurations without altering permanent settings.

$ export OTELTOOL_DEBUG=true
$ export OTELTOOL_VERBOSE=true

The names of the environment variables correspond to the configuration options available in the otel set command with the OTELTOOL_ prefix.

Full List of Environment Variables:

• OTELTOOL_DEBUG: Enable debug mode.
• OTELTOOL_VERBOSE: Enable verbose logging.
• OTELTOOL_RULE_JSON_FILES: Specify custom rule files.
• OTELTOOL_DISABLE_RULES: Disable specific rules. Use 'all' to disable all default rules, or comma-separated list of rule file names to disable specific rules.

This approach provides flexibility for testing changes and experimenting with configurations without permanently altering your existing setup.

otel go build

Once configurations are in place, you can build your project with prefixed otel commands. This integrates the tool's configuration directly into the build process:

Standard Build: Build your project with default settings.

  $ otel go build

Output to Specific Location: Build your project and specify an output location.

  $ otel go build -o app cmd/app

Passing Compiler Flags: Use compiler flags for more customized builds.

  $ otel go build -gcflags="-m" cmd/app

No matter how complex your project is, the otel tool simplifies the process by automatically instrumenting your code for effective observability, the only requirement being the addition of the otel prefix to your build commands.

otel version

If you want to check the version of the otel tool, you can use the otel version command.

  $ otel version