netdata/docs/exporting-metrics/enable-an-exporting-connector.md

Enable an exporting connector

Now that you found the right connector for your external time-series database, you can now enable the exporting engine and the connector itself. We'll walk through the process of enabling the exporting engine itself, followed by two examples using the OpenTSDB and Graphite connectors.

Note

When you enable the exporting engine and a connector, the Netdata Agent exports metrics beginning from the time you restart its process, not the entire database of long-term metrics.

Once you understand how to enable a connector, you can apply that knowledge to any other connector.

Enable the exporting engine

Use edit-config from your Netdata config directory to edit exporting.conf.

Enable the exporting engine itself by setting enabled to yes:

[exporting:global]
    enabled = yes

Save the file but keep it open, as you will edit it again to enable specific connectors.

Example: Enable the OpenTSDB connector

Use the following configuration as a starting point. Copy and paste it into exporting.conf.

[opentsdb:http:my_opentsdb_http_instance]
    enabled = yes
    destination = localhost:4242

Replace my_opentsdb_http_instance with an instance name of your choice, and change the destination setting to the IP address or hostname of your OpenTSDB database.

Restart your Agent to initiate exporting to your OpenTSDB database. The Netdata Agent continuously exports metrics collected from the moment it starts. You can expect to see data appear in your OpenTSDB database within seconds of restarting the Agent.

Any further configuration is optional, based on your needs and the configuration of your OpenTSDB database. See the OpenTSDB connector doc and exporting engine reference for details.