ClickStack

Send logs, metrics, and traces to ClickStack using OpenTelemetry Protocol (OTLP). ClickStack is a comprehensive observability platform built on ClickHouse.

Supported Telemetry Types

Logs	Metrics	Traces
✓	✓	✓

Prerequisites

Before configuring the ClickStack destination, ensure you have:

• A running ClickStack instance (local, Docker, or ClickHouse Cloud)

• Network connectivity from your Bindplane agent to the ClickStack OTLP endpoint

• An API ingestion key (found in ClickStack Team Settings → API Keys)

• The appropriate network ports open (default: HTTP 4318 or gRPC 4317)

For help deploying ClickStack, see the ClickStack Getting Started documentation.

Configuration

Basic Configuration

The minimum configuration requires the hostname/endpoint and API ingestion key. The destination will use HTTP protocol on port 4318 by default.

Parameter	Description	Default
Telemetry Type	Select which types of telemetry to export (Logs, Metrics, Traces)	All types
Protocol	The OTLP protocol (HTTP or gRPC)	http
Hostname	Hostname or IP address of the ClickStack OTLP endpoint	localhost
Port	TCP port for OTLP communication	4318 (HTTP) or 4317 (gRPC)
API Ingestion Key	The API key for authentication	(required)

Advanced Configuration

Compression

Compression reduces bandwidth usage when sending telemetry to ClickStack.

Parameter	Description	Valid Values	Default
Compression (HTTP)	Compression algorithm for HTTP protocol	gzip, deflate, snappy, zlib, zstd, none	gzip
Compression (gRPC)	Compression algorithm for gRPC protocol	gzip, snappy, zstd, none	gzip

TLS Configuration

TLS encryption is available for secure communication with ClickStack.

Parameter	Description	Default
Enable TLS	Whether to use TLS encryption	false
Skip TLS Certificate Verification	Enable to skip verification of the server's certificate	false
TLS Certificate Authority File	Optional CA file for validating the server's certificate	(none)
Server Name Override	Optional virtual hostname override	(none)
Mutual TLS	Enable client certificate authentication (mTLS)	false
TLS Client Certificate File	Path to client certificate for mTLS	(none)
TLS Client Private Key	Path to client private key for mTLS	(none)

Retry and Queuing

This destination supports the retry settings, the sending queue settings, and the persistent queue settings.

Sending Queue	Persistent Queue	Retry on Failure
✓	✓	✓

Example 1: gRPC Protocol with Efficient Compression

This example demonstrates gRPC protocol selection with gzip compression, which is recommended for high-volume telemetry collection scenarios where bandwidth and protocol efficiency are important.

Example 2: Logs and Metrics Only (Traces Disabled)

This example demonstrates selective telemetry type configuration, useful for organizations that want to collect logs and metrics while excluding trace data to optimize storage and processing costs.

Configuration Tips

Use Compression for Bandwidth Efficiency

• Both HTTP and gRPC protocols support compression (gzip, zstd, snappy). Enable compression to reduce bandwidth usage when sending telemetry to ClickStack, especially for high-volume scenarios.

• The ClickStack documentation shows gzip as the default compression algorithm for both protocols.

API Ingestion Key Authentication

• The API ingestion key must be provided as an authorization header with all OTLP communications. ClickStack validates this key for every request.

• Create separate API ingestion keys in Team Settings for different environments (development, staging, production) to maintain isolation and enable per-environment key rotation.

Protocol Selection Based on Infrastructure

• Use HTTP (port 4318) if your infrastructure includes proxies or firewalls that restrict gRPC traffic, as HTTP is more compatible with standard web infrastructure.

• Use gRPC (port 4317) for direct collector-to-collector communication within your internal network for better protocol efficiency.

Troubleshooting

Invalid API Ingestion Key

Symptoms: "401 Unauthorized" or "Invalid credentials" errors when exporting telemetry to ClickStack.

Solutions:

1. Verify the API ingestion key is correct in ClickStack Team Settings and matches your configuration

2. Confirm the key has not expired or been revoked in ClickStack

Telemetry Not Appearing in ClickStack

Symptoms: Data is being exported (no errors in logs) but doesn't appear in ClickStack.

Solutions:

1. Check the hostname and port match your ClickStack OTLP endpoint configuration

2. Verify the correct telemetry types (Logs, Metrics, Traces) are enabled in the destination

3. Confirm the API ingestion key has permissions for the telemetry types you're sending

Related Resources

• ClickStack Getting Started Guide

• ClickStack OpenTelemetry Ingestion

• Retry and Queuing Configuration