Dev Null

Dev Null discards every record sent to it. It exports metrics, logs, and traces using the OpenTelemetry Collector's built-in nop exporter, which accepts data and drops it. Use it as a placeholder when you want a valid pipeline without a real destination, or to measure source and processor throughput in isolation.

Supported Telemetry Types

Metrics	Logs	Traces
✓	✓	✓

Prerequisites

None. Dev Null requires no account, credentials, endpoint, or network access. It runs entirely inside the collector.

Configuration

Basic

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Choose Telemetry Type	Telemetry Selector	No	Logs, Metrics, Traces	Which signals this destination discards. Any selected signal is routed to the nop exporter and dropped.

Advanced

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Drop Raw Copy	Boolean	No	true	When enabled, the raw copy of the log stored in log.record.original is dropped before the record is discarded. Logs only.

Examples

Discard all telemetry to test how much throughput a set of sources and processors can sustain without a backend in the path.

apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Destination
metadata:
  name: dev-null
spec:
  type: dev_null
  parameters:
    - name: telemetry_types
      value:
        - Logs
        - Metrics
        - Traces

Configuration Tips

• Use Dev Null to keep a pipeline valid while a real destination is being provisioned, then swap it out without rebuilding the pipeline.
• Narrow Choose Telemetry Type to a single signal when you only want to drop one signal and route the others to a real destination.

Troubleshooting

Data still reaches a backend

Symptoms: telemetry shows up downstream even though Dev Null is attached.

Solution: confirm the pipeline routes the signal to the Dev Null destination and not to another destination in parallel. Dev Null only discards the signals routed to it.

A signal is not being dropped

Symptoms: one signal still flows through while others are discarded.

Solution: check Choose Telemetry Type. A signal that is not selected is not handled by this destination.

Standalone Destination

apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Destination
metadata:
  name: dev-null
spec:
  type: dev_null
  parameters:
    - name: telemetry_types
      value:
        - Logs
        - Metrics
        - Traces

Related Resources

• nopexporter — OpenTelemetry Collector exporter reference