This utility simulates a client generating traces, useful for testing and demonstration purposes.

To install the latest version run the following command:

$ go install github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/tracegen@latest

Check the go install reference to install specific versions.

First, you'll need an OpenTelemetry Collector to receive the trace data. Follow the project's instructions for a detailed setting up guide. The following configuration file should be sufficient:

receivers:
  otlp:
    protocols:
      grpc:
        endpoint: localhost:4317

processors:

exporters:
  logging:

service:
  pipelines:
    traces:
      receivers:
      - otlp
      processors: []
      exporters:
      - logging

Once the OpenTelemetry Collector instance is up and running, run tracegen:

$ tracegen -otlp-insecure -duration 5s

Or, to generate a specific number of traces:

$ tracegen -otlp-insecure -traces 1

Check -help for all the options.