{"slug": "using-the-opentelemetry-datadog-receiver", "title": "Using the OpenTelemetry Datadog Receiver", "summary": "SigNoz released a guide on using the OpenTelemetry Datadog Receiver to receive metrics from Datadog Agents without modifying applications, enabling gradual migration to OpenTelemetry. The receiver acts as a bridge solution, with recommendations to eventually adopt native OpenTelemetry instrumentation for better integration.", "body_md": "Overview\n\nThe OpenTelemetry Datadog Receiver allows you to receive metrics from Datadog Agents without modifying your applications. It's especially handy when exploring [Datadog alternatives](https://signoz.io/blog/datadog-alternatives/) without reinstrumenting your apps. This is useful for:\n\n**Gradual migration**: Continue using Datadog Agent while migrating to OpenTelemetry** DogStatsD metrics**: Receive custom DogStatsD metrics without changing application code\n\nThis approach is a bridge solution. For long-term use, we recommend migrating to native OpenTelemetry instrumentation for better integration and standardization.\n\nPrerequisites\n\nBefore you begin, ensure you have:\n\n[OpenTelemetry Collector](https://signoz.io/docs/opentelemetry-collection-agents/get-started/)installed and running**Datadog Agent** installed (if forwarding from existing agents)- Access to modify configuration files and environment variables\n- Network connectivity between Datadog Agent and OpenTelemetry Collector\n\nStep 1: Configure the Datadog Receiver\n\nAdd the Datadog receiver to your OpenTelemetry Collector configuration to accept Datadog Agent traffic.\n\n**Add to your otel-collector-config.yaml:**\n\n```\nreceivers:\n  datadog:\n    endpoint: 0.0.0.0:8125\n    read_timeout: 60s\n```\n\nThis configures the receiver to:\n\n- Listen on all interfaces (\n`0.0.0.0`\n\n) on port`8125`\n\n(default Datadog DogStatsD port) - Wait up to 60 seconds for data before timing out\n\nStep 2: Configure the Exporter\n\nYou can skip this step if you followed the steps in [OpenTelemetry Collector Installation](https://signoz.io/docs/opentelemetry-collection-agents/get-started/#installation) to configure the OpenTelemetry Collector.\n\nSet up the OTLP exporter to send data to SigNoz:\n\n```\nexporters:\n  otlp:\n    endpoint: ingest.<region>.signoz.cloud:443\n    headers:\n      signoz-ingestion-key: <your-ingestion-key>\n    tls:\n      insecure: false\n```\n\nReplace:\n\n`<region>`\n\n: Your[SigNoz Cloud region](https://signoz.io/docs/ingestion/signoz-cloud/overview/#endpoint)`<your-ingestion-key>`\n\n: Your SigNoz[ingestion key](https://signoz.io/docs/ingestion/signoz-cloud/keys/)\n\nStep 3: Update the Pipelines\n\nIntegrate the Datadog receiver into your pipelines:\n\n```\nservice:\n  pipelines:\n    metrics:\n      receivers: [datadog, otlp]\n      processors: [batch]\n      exporters: [otlp]\n```\n\nStep 4: Configure the Datadog Agent\n\nConfigure your Datadog Agent to forward data to the OpenTelemetry Collector.\n\nOption A: Forward to Both SigNoz and Datadog\n\nIf you want to send data to both SigNoz (via OTel Collector) and Datadog during migration:\n\n**Using environment variable:**\n\n```\nDD_ADDITIONAL_ENDPOINTS='{\"http://<OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOST>:8125\": [\"signoz\"]}'\n```\n\n**Or update datadog.yaml:**\n\n```\nadditional_endpoints:\n  \"http://<OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOST>:8125\":\n    - \"signoz\"\n```\n\nReplace `<OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOST>`\n\nwith the hostname or IP where your OTel Collector is running (e.g., `localhost`\n\n, `otel-collector.default.svc.cluster.local`\n\n).\n\nOption B: Forward Only to SigNoz\n\nTo send data exclusively to SigNoz (stop sending to Datadog):\n\n**Using environment variable:**\n\n```\nDD_DD_URL=http://<OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOST>:8125\n```\n\n**Or update datadog.yaml:**\n\n```\ndd_url: http://<OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOST>:8125\n```\n\nStep 5: Restart Services\n\nAfter making configuration changes:\n\nRestart the OpenTelemetry Collector\n\nRestart the Datadog Agent\n\nValidate\n\nVerify data is flowing through the Datadog receiver to SigNoz:\n\n**Verify in SigNoz:**- Navigate to\n**Metrics** to see DogStatsD metrics - Check that metrics match your Datadog data\n\n- Navigate to\n**Compare with Datadog:**- Verify the same metrics appear in both platforms\n\nTroubleshooting\n\n[Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)\n\nConnection refused errors\n\nIf the Datadog Agent can't connect to the OTel Collector:\n\n**Check port binding**: Verify the Collector is listening on port 8125:\n\n```\nnetstat -tlnp | grep 8125\n```\n\n**Check firewall**: Ensure port 8125 is open between Agent and Collector.** Verify endpoint**: Confirm the Agent is configured with the correct Collector address.\n\nNo data appearing in SigNoz\n\n**Check Collector logs**: Look for errors in the OTel Collector logs.** Verify pipeline configuration**: Ensure the`datadog`\n\nreceiver is listed in the appropriate pipeline(s).\n\nMetrics not appearing\n\n**Check metric type**: The Datadog receiver may not support all metric types.** Verify DogStatsD configuration**: Ensure DogStatsD is properly configured in both Agent and Collector.** Check metric names**: Metrics may be renamed during translation to OTel format.\n\nLimitations\n\nBe aware of these limitations when using the Datadog receiver:\n\n**Not all features supported**: Some Datadog-specific features may not translate to OpenTelemetry** Metric types**: Some Datadog metric types may be converted differently** Performance**: Adding a hop (DD Agent → OTel Collector → SigNoz) adds latency\n\nNext Steps\n\nThe Datadog receiver is a bridge solution. For long-term benefits, consider migrating to native OpenTelemetry:", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/using-the-opentelemetry-datadog-receiver", "canonical_source": "https://signoz.io/docs/migration/migrate-from-datadog/opentelemetry-datadog-receiver", "published_at": "2026-06-17 00:00:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-18 06:24:48.062401+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["developer-tools"], "entities": ["SigNoz", "Datadog", "OpenTelemetry", "OpenTelemetry Collector", "DogStatsD"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/using-the-opentelemetry-datadog-receiver", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/using-the-opentelemetry-datadog-receiver.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/using-the-opentelemetry-datadog-receiver.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/using-the-opentelemetry-datadog-receiver.jsonld"}}