opentelemetry-java-contrib/cel-sampler

CEL-Based Sampler

Declarative configuration

The CelBasedSampler supports declarative configuration.

To use:

• Add a dependency on io.opentelemetry.contrib:opentelemetry-cel-sampler:<version>
• Follow the instructions to configure OpenTelemetry with declarative configuration.
• Configure the .tracer_provider.sampler to include the cel_based sampler.

Support is now available for the java agent, see an example here.

Overview

The CelBasedSampler uses Common Expression Language (CEL) to create advanced sampling rules based on span attributes. CEL provides a powerful, yet simple expression language that allows you to create complex matching conditions.

Schema

Schema for cel_based sampler:

# The fallback sampler to use if no expressions match.
fallback_sampler:
  always_on:
# List of CEL expressions to evaluate. Expressions are evaluated in order.
expressions:
  # The action to take when the expression evaluates to true. Must be one of: DROP, RECORD_AND_SAMPLE.
  - action: DROP
    # The CEL expression to evaluate. Must return a boolean.
    expression: attribute['url.path'].startsWith('/actuator')
  - action: RECORD_AND_SAMPLE
    expression: attribute['http.method'] == 'GET' && attribute['http.status_code'] < 400

Available variables

Available variables in CEL expressions:

• name (string): The span name
• spanKind (string): The span kind (e.g., "SERVER", "CLIENT")
• attribute (map): A map of span attributes

Example configuration

Example of using cel_based sampler as the root sampler in parent_based sampler configuration:

tracer_provider:
  sampler:
    parent_based:
      root:
        cel_based:
          fallback_sampler:
            always_on:
          expressions:
            # Drop health check endpoints
            - action: DROP
              expression: spanKind == 'SERVER' && attribute['url.path'].startsWith('/health')
            # Drop actuator endpoints
            - action: DROP
              expression: spanKind == 'SERVER' && attribute['url.path'].startsWith('/actuator')
            # Sample only HTTP GET requests with successful responses
            - action: RECORD_AND_SAMPLE
              expression: spanKind == 'SERVER' && attribute['http.method'] == 'GET' && attribute['http.status_code'] < 400
            # Selectively sample based on span name
            - action: RECORD_AND_SAMPLE
              expression: name.contains('checkout') || name.contains('payment')
            # Drop spans with specific name patterns
            - action: DROP
              expression: name.matches('.*internal.*') && spanKind == 'INTERNAL'

Component owners

• Dominic Lüchinger, SIX Group
• Jack Berg, New Relic
• Jason Plumb, Splunk
• Trask Stalnaker, Microsoft

Learn more about component owners in component_owners.yml.