# Networking Requirements

The Bindplane OTel Collector (BDOT) requires network connectivity to the Bindplane Server and any telemetry sources or destinations it interacts with.

Most environments can operate with a minimal set of required connections, but certain optional features may use additional endpoints.

### Required Connections

#### 1. Connection to Bindplane Server

The collector must be able to communicate with the Bindplane Server over the management port.

| Deployment Type       | Default Port | Protocols                | Notes                      |
| --------------------- | ------------ | ------------------------ | -------------------------- |
| Bindplane Self-Hosted | `3001`       | HTTP(S), WebSocket, gRPC | User-configurable port     |
| Bindplane Cloud       | `443`        | HTTP(S), WebSocket, gRPC | Secure connection required |

{% hint style="warning" %}
**IMPORTANT!**

The Bindplane server management port supports multiple protocols on a single port. Since WebSocket and gRPC both require connection upgrades from HTTP/1 to HTTP/2, any proxy or load balancer in front of the server must support these upgrades.
{% endhint %}

#### 2. Connection to Telemetry Destinations

Collectors must have outbound network access to any telemetry destinations configured in their pipelines (for example, Google Cloud Logging, Splunk, or Prometheus).

* The specific ports, protocols, and endpoints depend on the destination.
* Each integration’s documentation provides detailed network requirements.

{% hint style="info" %}
**NOTE**

See the [Destinations](/integrations/destinations.md) section for destination-specific networking details.
{% endhint %}

#### 3. Connection to Remote Telemetry Sources

Some sources pull data from remote services over HTTP or other network APIs.

In these cases, outbound connectivity to the remote service endpoints is required.

* Examples include REST API sources, cloud monitoring APIs, or other remote ingestion endpoints.
* Each source’s configuration guide documents its own networking prerequisites.

{% hint style="info" %}
**NOTE**

See the [Sources](/integrations/sources.md) section for source-specific networking details.
{% endhint %}

### Optional Connections

#### Collector Version Updates

Collectors may optionally connect to the Bindplane update service to check for newer releases.

| Purpose                     | Endpoint                                                                                                                    | Port  | Notes                 |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | --------------------- |
| Collector Version Detection | `https://bdot.bindplane.com`                                                                                                | `443` | Default since v1.94.0 |
| Legacy (Older Versions)     | GitHub endpoints as documented in [Server Network Requirements](/production-checklist/bindplane/networking-requirements.md) | `443` | Deprecated behavior   |

{% hint style="info" %}
**NOTE**\
This connection is optional and only used when update checks are initiated from the Bindplane Server.
{% endhint %}

### Summary

| Connection Type           | Required          | Endpoint / Port                                                                    | Protocols                | Notes                    |
| ------------------------- | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |
| Bindplane Server          | ✅                 | https\://\<bindplane-server>:3001 (Self-Hosted) or <https://app.bindplane.com:443> | HTTP(S), WebSocket, gRPC | Core communication       |
| Telemetry Destinations    | ✅                 | Varies per integration                                                             | Varies                   | See integration docs     |
| Remote Sources            | ✅ (if configured) | Varies per source                                                                  | Varies                   | Outbound access required |
| Collector Version Updates | Optional          | <https://bdot.bindplane.com> (or GitHub legacy)                                    | HTTPS                    | For update checks        |


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