Configure the OpenTelemetry Collector to export traces to multiple backends simultaneously using the fanout pattern with the forward connector
domain: opentelemetry.io · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
List multiple exporters (such as otlp/jaeger, otlp/tempo, and debug) under a single traces pipeline's exporters array to enable implicit fan-out
Understand that listing multiple exporters in a pipeline automatically fans out to all of them; no explicit connector is needed for basic fan-out
For more complex routing, use the forward connector to wire one pipeline's output as input to another pipeline with different processors
Apply different batch processor settings per downstream pipeline by splitting into separate pipelines connected via the forward connector
Monitor per-exporter queue depth and failure rates using the Collector's internal Prometheus metrics exposed on the metrics address
Known gotchas
Fan-out to multiple exporters is synchronous within the Collector; a slow or unavailable exporter blocks the pipeline and causes back-pressure unless sending_queue is enabled per exporter
The forward connector passes telemetry between pipelines of the same signal type only; using it to cross signal types (traces to metrics) is not supported and requires a dedicated connector like spanmetrics
Exporter failures in a fan-out configuration are independent; one exporter failing does not prevent the others from receiving data, but errors appear in the Collector logs per exporter
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