> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://otel.fyi/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Encoding

> OpenTelemetry extension for Encoding

# Encoding Extension

![Status](https://img.shields.io/badge/status-unknown-lightgrey)

**Maintainers:** [@atoulme](https://github.com/atoulme), [@dao-jun](https://github.com/dao-jun), [@dmitryax](https://github.com/dmitryax), [@MovieStoreGuy](https://github.com/MovieStoreGuy), [@VihasMakwana](https://github.com/VihasMakwana)

**Source:** [opentelemetry-collector-contrib](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/tree/main/extension/encoding)

## Overview

The encoding extensions can be used by compatible receivers or exporters to encode or decode data into/from a specific
format. This is useful when the data is being sent to/from a system that expects a specific format and doesn't support
the OpenTelemetry protocol.

*🚧 Under active development 🚧*

## Component Milestones

To help track what work needs to be done with this component, these are the currently active goals being
worked towards.

### Development

* Add encoding extensions support additionally to the existing ways of configuring encodings (where applicable)
  to the following components:
  * `file receiver`
  * `file exporter`
  * `kafka receiver`
  * `kafka exporter`
  * `kinesis exporter`
  * `pulsar receiver`
  * `pulsar exporter`
* Add encoding extensions for open source formats, ie: `otlp`, `zipkin`, `jaeger`
* Deprecate the previously available ways of configuring encodings (where applicable).
* Remove the previously available ways of configuring encodings in favour of using the encoding extension.

## Example configuration

```yaml theme={null}
extensions:
  zipkin_encoding:
    protocol: zipkin_proto
    version: v2

receivers:
  kafka:
    traces:
      encoding: zipkin_encoding
    # ... other configuration values
```

***

*Last generated: 2026-07-06*