Enable OpenTelemetry for .NET, Node.js, Python, and Java applications

Note

For .NET, Node.js, and Python applications:

New app or adopting OpenTelemetry for the first time: Use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro.
Already using the Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry Distro: No action needed.
Using Application Insights .NET SDK 2.x: Upgrade to 3.x to minimize reinstrumentation, or start fresh with the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro.

For Java applications, use the Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry Distro.

For AI-assisted instrumentation guidance, see the Application Insights instrumentation skill. For guided setup and analysis of existing Application Insights instrumentation, see the Azure MCP Server tools for Azure Monitor.

This guidance shows you how to add observability to your application with Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro. The Distro automatically collects traces, metrics, and logs with built-in instrumentations, and exports the telemetry to Azure Monitor, any OpenTelemetry Protocol (OTLP) endpoint, or Microsoft Agent 365.

For other collection and export options, see OpenTelemetry with Azure Monitor.

OpenTelemetry release status

For package details and release notes, see Next steps.

Note

For Azure Function Apps, see Use OpenTelemetry with Azure Functions.

Enable OpenTelemetry with Application Insights

Follow the steps in this section to instrument your application with OpenTelemetry. Select a tab for language-specific instructions.

The Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro package identifiers and install commands are:

Language	Package	Install command
Python	`microsoft-opentelemetry`	`pip install microsoft-opentelemetry`
Node.js	`@microsoft/opentelemetry`	`npm install @microsoft/opentelemetry`
.NET	`Microsoft.OpenTelemetry`	`dotnet add package Microsoft.OpenTelemetry`

For Java, use the agent or native-image integration described in the Java and Java native tabs.

Use the ASP.NET Core tab for web applications and the .NET tab for console and other non-hosted applications.

Prerequisites

Azure subscription: Create an Azure subscription for free
Application Insights resource: Create an Application Insights resource

ASP.NET Core Application using an officially supported version of .NET

Tip

If you're upgrading from Application Insights .NET SDK 2.x, follow the SDK 3.x migration guidance. That upgrade doesn't require switching to the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro.

Install the client library

Note

These installation steps are for applications that use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro. They aren't an upgrade requirement for existing Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry Distro users. Don't initialize both distros in the same application. Standalone Azure Monitor exporter packages keep their existing names.

Install the Microsoft.OpenTelemetry NuGet package:

dotnet add package Microsoft.OpenTelemetry

Note

Install the Microsoft.OpenTelemetry NuGet package:

dotnet add package Microsoft.OpenTelemetry

Note

Install the @microsoft/opentelemetry npm package:

npm install @microsoft/opentelemetry

Note

Install the microsoft-opentelemetry PyPI package:

pip install microsoft-opentelemetry

Modify your application

Initialize the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro before your application starts handling work. The following examples select Azure Monitor as the destination and read the connection string from the APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING environment variable. Set that variable before starting your application, as described later in this article.

You can also set the connection string in code. For .NET, use options.AzureMonitor.ConnectionString inside UseMicrosoftOpenTelemetry(). For all supported languages, see Connection string configuration.

In Program.cs, configure the application builder to use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro:

// Import the distro API.
using Microsoft.OpenTelemetry;

// Create the application builder.
var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Initialize the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro with Azure Monitor export.
builder.UseMicrosoftOpenTelemetry(options =>
{
    options.Exporters = ExportTarget.AzureMonitor;
});

// Build and run the application.
var app = builder.Build();
app.Run();

For console and other non-hosted applications, create an OpenTelemetry SDK instance before your application code:

// Import the distro and SDK APIs.
using Microsoft.OpenTelemetry;
using OpenTelemetry;

// Create the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro and keep the SDK alive until shutdown.
using var sdk = OpenTelemetrySdk.Create(telemetry =>
{
    // Select Azure Monitor as the export destination.
    telemetry.UseMicrosoftOpenTelemetry(options =>
    {
        options.Exporters = ExportTarget.AzureMonitor;
    });
});

Keep sdk alive for the lifetime of your application. Dispose it only during shutdown to flush pending telemetry and stop the providers.

Autoinstrumentation is enabled through configuration changes. No code changes are required.

Point the Java virtual machine (JVM) to the jar file by adding -javaagent:"path/to/applicationinsights-agent-3.7.9.jar" to your application's JVM args.

Note

Sampling is enabled by default at a rate of five requests per second, aiding in cost management. Telemetry data could be missing in scenarios exceeding this rate. For more information on modifying sampling configuration, see sampling overrides. If you're seeing unexpected charges or high costs in Application Insights, this guide can help. It covers common causes like high telemetry volume, data ingestion spikes, and misconfigured sampling. It's especially useful if you're troubleshooting issues related to cost spikes, telemetry volume, sampling not working, data caps, high ingestion, or unexpected billing. To get started, see Troubleshoot high data ingestion in Application Insights.

Tip

For scenario-specific guidance, see Get Started (Supplemental).

Tip

If you develop a Spring Boot application, you can optionally replace the JVM argument by a programmatic configuration. For more information, see Using Azure Monitor Application Insights with Spring Boot.

For CommonJS applications, initialize the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro before loading the libraries you want to instrument:

// Import the distro API.
const { useMicrosoftOpenTelemetry } = require("@microsoft/opentelemetry");

// Initialize the distro before loading application libraries.
useMicrosoftOpenTelemetry({
    azureMonitor: {
        azureMonitorExporterOptions: {
            // Read the Azure Monitor connection string from the environment.
            connectionString: process.env.APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING,
        },
    },
});

For ECMAScript modules (ESM), create a telemetry.mjs bootstrap file:

// Register instrumentation hooks before loading application modules.
import "@microsoft/opentelemetry/loader";
import { useMicrosoftOpenTelemetry } from "@microsoft/opentelemetry";

// Initialize the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro with Azure Monitor export.
useMicrosoftOpenTelemetry({
    azureMonitor: {
        azureMonitorExporterOptions: {
            // Read the connection string from the environment.
            connectionString: process.env.APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING,
        },
    },
});

Preload the bootstrap file so instrumentation hooks register before your application modules load:

node --import ./telemetry.mjs "<AppEntryPoint>"

Use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro to enable Azure Monitor export and select a named application logger. By using a named logger, you avoid collecting the SDK's own log messages:

# Import the logging and distro APIs.
import logging
from microsoft.opentelemetry import use_microsoft_opentelemetry

# Select an application logger to avoid collecting the SDK's own logs.
loggerName = "<LoggerName>"

# Enable Azure Monitor export using the connection string environment variable.
use_microsoft_opentelemetry(
    enable_azure_monitor=True,
    logger_name=loggerName,
)

# Collect application log records at INFO level and above.
logger = logging.getLogger(loggerName)
logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)

Copy the connection string from your Application Insights resource

The connection string identifies the Application Insights resource that receives your telemetry.

Tip

If you don't already have an Application Insights resource, create one following this guide. We recommend you create a new resource rather than using an existing one.

To copy the connection string:

Go to the Overview pane of your Application Insights resource.
Find your connection string.
Hover over the connection string and select the Copy to clipboard icon.

Paste the connection string in your environment

To paste your connection string, use one of the following methods:

Method	Supported languages	Recommended for
Environment variable	All	Production
Configuration file (`applicationinsights.json`)	Java only	Production (Java)
Code	.NET, Node.js, Python	Local dev/test only

Important

We recommend setting the connection string through code only in local development and test environments.

For production, use an environment variable or configuration file (Java only).

Set the Application Insights connection string as an environment variable (recommended for production)

In Bash:

export APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING="<ConnectionString>"

In PowerShell:

$env:APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING = "<ConnectionString>"

Set the Application Insights connection string in a configuration file - Java only

Create a configuration file named applicationinsights.json, and place it in the same directory as applicationinsights-agent-3.7.9.jar with the following content:
```
    {
        "connectionString": "<ConnectionString>"
    }
```
Set the Application Insights connection string in code - .NET, Node.js, and Python only

For Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro options, see the .NET, Node.js, or Python documentation.

Confirm data is flowing

After you configure the distro and set the connection string, run your application and generate traffic or log messages. Open your Application Insights resource in the Azure portal to verify that telemetry appears. It might take a few minutes for data to show up.

Screenshot of the Application Insights Overview tab with server requests and server response time highlighted.

Application Insights is now enabled for your application. The following steps are optional and allow for further customization.

Note

As part of using Application Insights instrumentation, we collect and send diagnostic data to Microsoft. This data helps us run and improve Application Insights. Learn more in the Application Insights FAQ.

Important

If you have two or more services that emit telemetry to the same Application Insights resource, you're required to set Cloud Role Names to represent them properly on the Application Map.

Troubleshooting, feedback, and support

Tip

The following sections are available across all OpenTelemetry Distro articles.

Troubleshooting

For troubleshooting information, see Troubleshoot OpenTelemetry issues in .NET and Troubleshoot missing application telemetry in Azure Monitor Application Insights.

OpenTelemetry Feedback

To provide feedback:

Fill out the OpenTelemetry community's customer feedback survey.
Tell Microsoft about yourself by joining the OpenTelemetry Early Adopter Community.
Engage with other Azure Monitor users in the Microsoft Tech Community.
Make a feature request at the Azure Feedback Forum.

Support

Select a tab for the language of your choice to discover support options.

For Azure support issues, open an Azure support ticket.
For OpenTelemetry issues, contact the OpenTelemetry .NET community directly.
For a list of open issues related to Azure Monitor Exporter, see the GitHub Issues Page.

Next steps

To review the source code, see the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro repository for .NET.
To review a sample application, see Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro for ASP.NET Core.
To install the NuGet package, check for updates, or view release notes, see the Microsoft.OpenTelemetry package.
For applications that still use Azure.Monitor.OpenTelemetry.AspNetCore, see the Azure Monitor distro documentation.
To learn more about OpenTelemetry and its community, see the OpenTelemetry .NET GitHub repository.
To enable usage experiences, enable web or browser user monitoring.

To review the source code, see the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro repository for .NET.
For non-hosted setup, see Configure the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro for console apps and background tools.
To install the NuGet package, check for updates, or view release notes, see the Microsoft.OpenTelemetry package.
For applications that use the standalone Azure.Monitor.OpenTelemetry.Exporter package, see the Azure Monitor exporter documentation.
To learn more about OpenTelemetry and its community, see the OpenTelemetry .NET GitHub repository.
To enable usage experiences, enable web or browser user monitoring.

To review the source code, see the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro repository for Node.js.
To review sample applications, see Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro samples for Node.js.
To install the npm package and check for updates, see the @microsoft/opentelemetry package.
For applications that still use @azure/monitor-opentelemetry, see the Azure Monitor distro documentation.
To learn more about OpenTelemetry and its community, see the OpenTelemetry JavaScript GitHub repository.
To enable usage experiences, enable web or browser user monitoring.

To review the source code and configuration, see the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro repository for Python.
To review sample applications, see Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro samples for Python.
To install the PyPI package and check for updates, see the microsoft-opentelemetry package.
Review the release notes on GitHub.
For applications that still use azure-monitor-opentelemetry, see the Azure Monitor distro documentation.
To review available OpenTelemetry instrumentations and components, see the OpenTelemetry Contributor Python GitHub repository.
To learn more about OpenTelemetry and its community, review the OpenTelemetry Python GitHub repository.
To enable usage experiences, enable web or browser user monitoring.

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Last updated on 2026-10-09

Enable OpenTelemetry for .NET, Node.js, Python, and Java applications

OpenTelemetry release status

Enable OpenTelemetry with Application Insights

Prerequisites

Install the client library

Modify your application

Copy the connection string from your Application Insights resource

Paste the connection string in your environment

Confirm data is flowing

Troubleshooting, feedback, and support

Troubleshooting

OpenTelemetry Feedback

Support

Next steps

Feedback

Additional resources