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Vcr Receiver

Status Maintainers: @atoulme, @robertgustafsonsplunk, @garrett-splunk Source: opentelemetry-collector-contrib

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Supported Telemetry

Logs Metrics Traces

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Overview

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Overview

The receiver reads telemetry from JSON files stored in a “TAPE” (Telemetry Archive for Playback & Emulation). Each tape contains OpenTelemetry data encoded using Protobuf JSON and follows the OpenTelemetry Protocol (OTLP).

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1. Raw Input Files

The receiver watches a directory for files named: raw_(metrics|traces|logs|profiles)_#.json. They contain contain OTLP data serialized using the OpenTelemetry File Exporter.

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2. Tape Creation

Raw files are converted into tapes, named: tape_(metrics|traces|logs|profiles)_<earliest_event_ts>-<latest_event_ts>.json. Tapes are organized by event time, not by file creation time or capture time.

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3. Replay Engine

  • Tapes are read in chronological order based on original event timestamps.
  • Telemetry is replayed according to the original timing between events, accurately reproducing real-world telemetry flow.
  • Once the end of the final tape is reached, the receiver loops back and begins replaying from the first event.

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Key Features

  • True Time-Based Replay
    Honors original event timestamps and relative timing between events.
  • Deterministic Telemetry Playback
    Ideal for testing pipelines, demos, load simulations, and debugging without live data.
  • Continuous Looping
    Automatically restarts playback after reaching the end of the tape set.
  • OTLP-Compatible
    Works with telemetry serialized via the OpenTelemetry File Exporter.

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Quick Start

The following settings are required:
  • include_raw: set a directory where to look for raw files to include in data collection
  • include_tape: set a directory where to look for and place processed raw files
Example: 
receivers:
  vcr:
    include_raw:
      - "/var/log/raw/*.log"
    exclude_raw:
      - "/var/log/raw/example.log"
    include_tape:
      - "/var/log/tape/"
Last generated: 2026-04-13