Getting started

This tutorial will guide you on how to get started with eBPF automatic application instrumentation with OBI.

Prerequisites

Before deploying the OpenTelemetry eBPF instrumentation agent, ensure you have:

• Kubernetes 1.24 or above
• Helm 3.9 or above
• Linux kernel 5.8+ with BTF enabled (or RHEL 4.18 build 348+)
• eBPF enabled on the host
• Privileged container capabilities (or specific Linux capabilities for unprivileged deployment)

Verify your setup:

helm version
kubectl version --short

Using the Coralogix Helm Chart

The recommended way to deploy the OpenTelemetry eBPF instrumentation agent is through the official Coralogix Helm chart.

New installation

To install the Coralogix eBPF agent deployment:

1. Add the Coralogix Helm repository:

   helm repo add coralogix https://cgx.jfrog.io/artifactory/coralogix-charts-virtual
   helm repo update

2. Create the required secret.

   Ensure a Kubernetes secret named coralogix-keys exists and includes your Coralogix Private API Key. If it doesn't, use the command below to create it:

   kubectl create secret generic coralogix-keys --from-literal=PRIVATE_KEY="<Your Coralogix Private API Key>"

3. Deploy the Coralogix Helm Chart with OTel eBPF:

   helm upgrade --install otel-coralogix-integration coralogix/otel-integration \
   --render-subchart-notes \
   --set global.domain=<YOUR_DOMAIN> \
   --set global.clusterName="<YOUR_CLUSTER>" \
   --set opentelemetry-ebpf-instrumentation.enabled=true

4. Verify the deployment:

   # Check if pods are running
   kubectl get pods

Updating an existing installation

To update your existing Coralogix eBPF agent deployment:

1. Update the Helm repository:

   helm repo update coralogix

2. Check the current release:

   helm list

3. Update the configuration.

   Modify your values.yaml file with opentelemetry-ebpf-instrumentation.enabled=true.

4. Upgrade the release:

   helm upgrade --install otel-coralogix-integration coralogix/otel-integration \
   --render-subchart-notes \
   -f values.yaml

5. Monitor the upgrade:

   # Verify new pods are running
   kubectl get pods

What's next? Unlock full trace capabilities

While eBPF provides excellent observability with minimal setup, adding full instrumentation to your services using OpenTelemetry unlocks advanced capabilities like, transactions, and detailed span exploration.

Instrumenting key services allows for richer insights, improved debugging, and enhanced contextualization, such as span-log correlation and stack trace visibility.

Start by identifying critical services to instrument and gradually transition for maximum observability. For guidance, consult our documentation or reach out to Support.