We are tring to use Application Insight to log OTLP information

John Hultgren 0 Reputation points
2026-06-23T19:51:35.1066667+00:00

We are trying to use Application Insights to log data. We have searched for information and followed what we can find, but still cannot get information in Application Insights

We cannot seem to find the correct OTLP endpoint to use. We have tried

https://managed-xxxx-xx-xx.x.ingest.monitor.azure.com/dataCollectionRules/xxxxxxx/streams/Microsoft-OTLP-Traces/otlp/v1/traces

And not really sure what should be in this field, OTLP headers

Any guidance or documentation would be greatly appreciated

Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor

An Azure service that is used to collect, analyze, and act on telemetry data from Azure and on-premises environments.

2 answers

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  1. Lakshma Reddy Vattijonnala 1,005 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-24T06:10:11.66+00:00

    Hi @John Hultgren

    Thank you for the details. From the endpoint you shared, it appears that you are using the Azure Monitor native OTLP ingestion path via a Data Collection Rule (DCR), which is supported for OpenTelemetry traces, logs, and metrics.

    To help validate the configuration, please review the following points:

    Verify the OTLP endpoint

    • If you created an Application Insights resource with OTLP support enabled, navigate to the Application Insights resource and locate the OTLP Connection Info section.
    • Microsoft recommends copying the Traces, Logs, and Metrics endpoints directly from this section rather than manually constructing the URL.

    Verify authentication

    • OTLP ingestion to Azure Monitor requires authentication through Microsoft Entra ID (Managed Identity or Service Principal).
    • The identity used by the OpenTelemetry Collector or application must have the Monitoring Metrics Publisher role assigned to the Data Collection Rule (DCR). Without this permission, ingestion requests can be rejected.

    Review OTLP headers

    • For Azure Monitor OTLP ingestion, authentication is typically provided through Microsoft Entra ID token acquisition rather than a traditional Application Insights instrumentation key header.
    • Please confirm:
      • Which OpenTelemetry SDK or Collector version is being used?
      • Whether you are using Managed Identity, Service Principal, or another authentication mechanism?
      • The exact value currently being configured in the OTLP Headers field.

    Validate Collector configuration

    • Microsoft notes that OTLP ingestion requires the OpenTelemetry Collector to use OTLP/HTTP and that the endpoint URLs must exactly match the Azure Monitor OTLP endpoint format. Endpoint construction mistakes, incorrect DCR IDs, wrong stream names, or authentication issues are common causes of missing telemetry.

    Please refer to the below official Microsoft documentation for a step-by-step guide.

    After you have completed the steps above, if the issue still persists, please send us the details below details so we can look into it further.

    1. Which component or exporter are you using to send OTLP data (e.g., OpenTelemetry Collector, Azure Monitor Agent, SDK)?
    2. What type of OTLP data are you sending (traces, metrics, logs)?
    3. Are you seeing any specific error messages or status codes when attempting to send data?
    4. Which Application Insights ingestion method or feature are you targeting (direct ingestion, Azure Monitor, etc.)?

    If you find the answer helpful, please click "upvote" it. This will help others in the community with similar questions easily find the solution.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-23T19:51:52.2466667+00:00

    To send OTLP data to Azure Monitor/Application Insights, use the Azure Monitor OTLP ingestion pattern and ensure the endpoint and headers match the Data Collection Rule (DCR) and Data Collection Endpoint (DCE) configuration.

    Key points for the OTLP endpoint:

    1. Use the logs DCE domain for traces and logs
      The traces endpoint must use the logs DCE domain, and the path must match the DCR stream definition exactly: 
         Logs endpoint:
   https://<logs-dce-domain>/datacollectionRules/<dcr-immutable-id>/streams/Microsoft-OTLP-Logs/otlp/v1/logs
   
   Traces endpoint:
   https://<logs-dce-domain>/datacollectionRules/<dcr-immutable-id>/streams/Microsoft-OTLP-Traces/otlp/v1/traces
      If the domain being used is a metrics DCE domain or a different endpoint, traces won’t be ingested. Confirm that:
      • <logs-dce-domain> is the logs DCE host created for OTLP ingestion.
      • <dcr-immutable-id> matches the immutable ID of the DCR configured for OTLP traces/logs.
    2. Stream name must match the DCR exactly
      The stream segment in the URL (Microsoft-OTLP-Traces or Microsoft-OTLP-Logs) must match the stream name defined in the DCR, including case. If the stream name was customized in the DCR, the same value must be used in the URL.
    3. Headers and authentication (OTLP over HTTP/Protobuf)
      For OTLP over HTTP to Azure Monitor:
      • Use the OpenTelemetry Collector contrib distribution.
      • Authenticate with Microsoft Entra ID or a managed identity via the Collector’s Azure Auth extension.
      • Configure the exporter to use HTTP/Protobuf and point to the DCE/DCR URLs above.
      The Azure Auth extension handles the authorization header (Bearer token) for the Collector, so the main OTLP-specific header requirement is that the request conforms to OTLP HTTP/Protobuf. The Collector configuration should reference:
      • The Azure Monitor OTLP endpoints (logs/traces URLs above).
      • The Azure Auth extension for Microsoft Entra authentication.
    4. Metrics-specific requirements (if sending metrics)
      If metrics are also being sent via OTLP:
      • Application Insights experiences require delta temporality and exponential histogram aggregation.
      • If the SDK emits cumulative metrics, add the cumulativetodelta processor in the Collector config to convert to delta.
    5. Recommended onboarding path
      For Application Insights + Azure Monitor OTLP ingestion:
      • Create an Application Insights resource and let it automatically create the required workspaces (AMW, LAW), DCR, and DCE.
      • Then capture the OTLP endpoint URLs for traces, metrics, and logs from the Application Insights Overview page when OTLP support is enabled. Use those URLs directly in the Collector exporters or SDK configuration.

    If data still does not appear in Application Insights, verify:

    • The DCR is enabled and bound to the correct workspace/Application Insights resource.
    • The Collector is successfully authenticating via Microsoft Entra (no auth errors in Collector logs).
    • The OTLP requests are using the correct DCE domain and DCR ID, and the stream names match the DCR.

    References:

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