# File

### Supported Telemetry Types

| Logs | Metrics | Traces |
| ---- | ------- | ------ |
| ✓    | ✓       | ✓      |

### Prerequisites

Before configuring the File destination, ensure you have:

* Write access to the target directory path
* Sufficient disk space for telemetry data
* Appropriate file system permissions for the collector process
* For directory creation: permissions to create parent directories

### Configuration

#### Basic Configuration

The minimum configuration requires only the file path. The destination will write telemetry data in JSON format by default.

<figure><img src="/files/KpEcOFSBvc7DlVUJpNFK" alt="Basic File destination configuration with File Path set to /var/log/telemetry.log and default settings"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

| Parameter             | Type               | Required | Default               | Description                           |
| --------------------- | ------------------ | -------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Choose Telemetry Type | Telemetry Selector | No       | Logs, Metrics, Traces | Types of telemetry to export          |
| File Path             | String             | Yes      | —                     | Path to the file for telemetry output |

#### Advanced Configuration

**File Format and Compression**

| Parameter   | Type               | Default | Description                      |
| ----------- | ------------------ | ------- | -------------------------------- |
| Format      | Enum (json, proto) | json    | Output format for telemetry data |
| Compression | Enum (none, zstd)  | none    | Compression algorithm for output |

**File Rotation Settings**

| Parameter                     | Type    | Default | Description                                           |
| ----------------------------- | ------- | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| Rotation - Max File Size (MB) | Integer | 100     | Max file size before rotation (0 = disabled)          |
| Rotation - Max Days           | Integer | 0       | Days to retain files (0 = unlimited)                  |
| Rotation - Max Backups        | Integer | 100     | Number of old files to keep (0 = unlimited)           |
| Rotation - Use Local Time     | Boolean | false   | Use local time for rotation timestamps instead of UTC |

**Write and Directory Settings**

| Parameter                     | Type    | Default | Description                                                    |
| ----------------------------- | ------- | ------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Flush Interval (seconds)      | Integer | 1       | Seconds between buffer flushes (ignored when rotation enabled) |
| Append Mode                   | Boolean | false   | Append to file instead of truncating                           |
| Create Directory              | Boolean | false   | Create directory path if it doesn't exist                      |
| Directory Permissions (Octal) | String  | 0755    | Permissions for created directories                            |

**Resource-Based File Grouping**

| Parameter                   | Type    | Default                    | Description                                                |
| --------------------------- | ------- | -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Group by Resource Attribute | Boolean | false                      | Write to separate files based on resource attributes       |
| Resource Attribute Name     | String  | fileexporter.path\_segment | Attribute name for grouping (when grouping enabled)        |
| Group by - Max Open Files   | Integer | 100                        | Max file descriptors when grouping (when grouping enabled) |

**Log Processing**

| Parameter     | Type    | Default | Description                                      |
| ------------- | ------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Drop Raw Copy | Boolean | true    | Remove `log.record.original` attribute from logs |

**Retry and Queuing**

This destination supports the [retry settings](https://docs.bindplane.com/configuration/bindplane-otel-collector/retry-on-failure), the [sending queue settings](https://docs.bindplane.com/configuration/bindplane-otel-collector/sending-queue), and the [persistent queue settings](https://docs.bindplane.com/configuration/bindplane-otel-collector/persistent-queue).

### Examples

#### JSON with File Rotation

<figure><img src="/files/jqz4LEMvLBqPkQMiy2XX" alt="File destination with max file size of 50 MB and 10 backups enabled"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### Protocol Buffers with Compression

<figure><img src="/files/sx1Bk4M6idAqBkZVDo0K" alt="File destination using proto format with zstd compression"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### Resource Attribute Grouping

<figure><img src="/files/FwOmZKEFaQ5R4tUkvTDr" alt="File destination with grouping enabled by service.name attribute"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Configuration Tips

#### File Path and Permissions

* Specify absolute paths to avoid ambiguity (e.g., `/var/log/telemetry.log` instead of `logs/telemetry.log`)
* Ensure the collector process has write permissions to the target directory
* Use `Create Directory` to automatically set up directory structure with specified permissions
* For Kubernetes, use persistent volumes to prevent data loss on pod restart

#### File Rotation Strategy

* Enable rotation for long-running collectors to prevent unbounded file growth
* Set `Max File Size` based on disk capacity and log volume (100 MB default is reasonable for most workloads)
* Use `Max Days` to implement retention policies, or disable (0) for indefinite retention
* Set `Max Backups` to control storage usage; old files are automatically deleted when limit is exceeded

#### Format Selection

* JSON: Human-readable, easier to debug, slightly larger file size
* Proto: Compact binary format, \~50% smaller files, requires decoder to inspect

### Troubleshooting

#### Permission Denied Errors

Symptoms: "permission denied" errors when writing to file or creating directory.

Solutions:

1. Verify the collector process user has write permissions to the target directory
2. Check parent directory permissions if using `Create Directory`
3. Verify directory permissions (octal format) are correct: `0755` allows owner read/write/execute
4. Ensure SELinux or AppArmor policies don't restrict file access

#### File Rotation Not Working

Symptoms: Files grow indefinitely despite rotation settings, or rotation happens unexpectedly.

Solutions:

1. Verify `Max File Size` is greater than 0 (0 disables rotation)
2. Check available disk space; rotation may fail if disk is full
3. Ensure write permissions exist for directory where rotated files are created
4. Verify `Flush Interval` is configured when grouping is disabled (rotation ignored otherwise)

#### Missing Data in Files

Symptoms: Some telemetry appears to be lost or not written to file.

Solutions:

1. Verify the source is actually generating telemetry
2. Check collector logs for errors related to the file exporter
3. If using `Group by Resource Attribute`: verify the attribute exists on all telemetry items
4. If grouping is enabled with high cardinality attributes: check that max open files limit isn't exceeded

### Related Resources

* [File Exporter Documentation](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/tree/main/exporter/fileexporter)
* [Bindplane Destinations Overview](https://docs.bindplane.com/resources/destinations/)
* [Retention and Queuing Configuration](https://docs.bindplane.com/configuration/bindplane-otel-collector/retry-and-queueing)


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