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Generate configurations from templates

Generate validated, production-ready OpenTelemetry (OTel) Collector configurations without writing YAML from scratch. Configuration templates let you select an environment type, toggle observability features on or off through a visual interface, and deploy in seconds with settings optimized for your infrastructure.

Screenshot of the Kubernetes template form showing Group details, Environment setup with version selectors and environment options, and the Preview panel

What you need

  • The REMOTE-CONFIGURATION:MANAGE permission. See Permissions for details.
  • Access to Fleet Management in Coralogix.
  • Knowledge of your target environment (Kubernetes cluster name, namespace, operating system, or host details).

Template types

Configuration templates target specific infrastructure environments. Each template type generates OTel Collector configurations with pre-validated YAML and modular observability features tailored to that environment.
TemplateUse case
KubernetesDeploy OTel Collectors in a Kubernetes cluster with kubelet integration and cluster-wide metrics collection
ECS (coming soon)Configure agents for Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) with EC2 or Fargate support
Host (coming soon)Deploy Collectors directly on Linux or Windows hosts without container orchestration

Each template type presents environment-specific setup fields during configuration. The available fields depend on the selected template type and version—newer template versions might introduce additional options. See Template versions for details.

Template versions

Each template type has multiple versions. The selected version determines which environment setup fields, observability feature toggles, and configuration options are available in the Presets interface.

  • Use the Template version dropdown in the Environment setup card to select a version. Versions with changes display an update badge showing the number of updates. Hover over the badge to view the changelog for that version.
  • The OTel Collector version is read-only and automatically determined by the selected template version.
  • When a newer template version is available, an Update available banner appears. Select the new version from the dropdown to upgrade.
  • Newer versions might introduce additional fields, feature toggles, or environment options that are not present in older versions.
  • You can downgrade to an earlier version if needed.
  • Saving changes to an existing configuration creates a new version. A banner at the top of the editor confirms this before you save.

Screenshot of the Template version dropdown showing available versions with update badges and a changelog tooltip on hover

Upgrade the template version in both Presets and Code mode. The updated options are only visible in Presets mode.

Create a configuration from a template

Use a template when onboarding a new cluster or environment—for example, deploying OTel Collectors to a Kubernetes cluster with APM tracing and log collection enabled.

  1. In Coralogix, select Integrations in the left-side menu, then select Fleet Management, then select the Configurations tab.

  2. Hover over + New configuration to reveal the template options.

    Screenshot of the New configuration dropdown showing Kubernetes, ECS, Host, and Custom group template options

  3. Select a template type (for example, Kubernetes).

  4. In the Group details section, enter a name for your configuration group and an optional description. Use a descriptive name that reflects the template type and environment (example: prod-kubernetes-aws).

  5. In the Environment setup card, configure the fields for your selected template. The available fields depend on the template type and version—see Template versions for details.

  6. In the Observability features section, enable or disable the feature categories you need by toggling them on or off. See Observability feature presets for details.
  7. In the Preview panel on the right, select the Agent list tab and confirm that the listed agents match your intended targets. Select Configuration map to verify the generated pipeline visually using Config Navigator.
  8. Select Create to proceed.

Observability feature presets

The Observability features section provides toggle-based controls organized into categories such as Fleet Management, APM & Tracing, Logs & Events, Metrics, and Additional features. Each toggle dynamically updates the underlying OTel Collector YAML. Enable only the features you need to keep configurations focused and reduce resource consumption.

The number of categories, sub-toggles, and available options depend on the selected template type and version. Some toggles are specific to certain template types—for example, Kubernetes-specific metrics are only available in the Kubernetes template.

Screenshot of the observability feature presets showing APM & Tracing, Logs & Events, Metrics, and Additional features categories with toggle controls

The available presets mirror the observability capabilities documented in each integration guide. For details on what each signal collects and how it works, see the integration page for your environment: Kubernetes complete observability, ECS EC2, or Host observability.

Agent preview panel

The Preview panel appears on the right side of the configuration form in both Presets and Code mode. A dropdown at the top of the panel lets you select which configuration in the family to preview (for example, Cluster collector or Agent).

Screenshot of the Preview panel showing the Agent dropdown, Agent list, Configuration map, and New tabs

The panel has three tabs:

  • Agent list—displays agents that match your current selector criteria and updates dynamically as you modify selector fields. Use this tab to verify that your configuration targets the correct agents before creating it.
  • Configuration map—renders a visual flow diagram of the OTel Collector pipeline for the selected configuration, showing how receivers, processors, and exporters connect. See Config Navigator for details.
  • New—lists agents that are not yet assigned to any configuration group.

Configuration family

Configuration templates can generate a family of interdependent configurations that deploy together. The number and type of configurations in the family depend on the template type and version—for example, a Kubernetes template might generate separate Agent and Cluster Collector configurations.

In Presets mode, the Configuration family section shows the observability feature toggles. To view the individual YAML files for each configuration, switch to Code mode—each configuration appears in its own tab. When you save a template-based configuration, a dialog box displays the full set of generated configurations for review. Learn more about configuration families in Configuration management.

Review and activate

After selecting Create in the configuration form, a dialog box displays all generated configurations in the family with YAML previews.

  1. Expand each configuration section to review the generated YAML, or switch to the Agent selector tab to verify which agents match.
  2. Select the Activate immediately toggle to activate the configuration on matching agents right away. Leave it off to save as a draft.
  3. Select Create to finish.

A toast notification confirms the new configuration group. The new entry appears in the Configurations table with the template type, template version, and OTel version columns populated.

Switch between Presets and Code mode

The Configuration family section includes a Presets and Code toggle. Presets is the default interactive template-based interface. Switch to Code to edit the generated YAML directly in a code editor.

When you switch to Code mode:

Screenshot of Code mode showing the Configuration family section with Agent and Cluster collector tabs, agent selector, and the YAML code editor

  • The system generates YAML files based on your current Presets selections and displays them in a tabbed code editor with one tab per configuration in the family (for example, Agent and Cluster collector). Code mode is only available when the Presets form has no validation errors.
  • Enter YAML manually, paste from an external source, or upload a YAML file.
  • Use the search bar to find specific keys or sections within the YAML.
  • The editor validates YAML against the OTel JSON Schema and displays inline hints for invalid or unrecognized fields.
  • Changing environment parameters (such as operating system or cloud provider) in Code mode does not regenerate the configuration. Only Presets mode dynamically updates the YAML when you change environment settings or toggle features.
  • Manual changes might break template compatibility. Future template version upgrades might not apply cleanly to manually edited configurations.

When you switch back from Code to Presets mode:

  • If you made no changes in Code mode, the switch returns to Presets with your previous settings intact.
  • If you edited the YAML in Code mode, a confirmation dialog appears offering to reset the configuration to the default values of the selected template version. Any manual YAML edits are discarded.
  • After resetting, you can reconfigure the template using the Presets interface.

When editing an existing configuration, select View difference in the page header to compare your current changes against the saved version before saving.

Validation

The form validates group names, environment setup fields, and configuration settings in real time. When errors exist:

  • An error count badge appears (example: "2 Errors").
  • The Create button remains unavailable until all errors are resolved.

Best practices

  • Keep configurations in Presets mode when possible to benefit from future template version upgrades and the visual toggle interface.
  • Switch to Code mode only when you need fine-grained customization beyond what the toggles offer. If you edit the YAML and switch back to Presets, the configuration resets to default values.
  • Review the agent list in the Preview panel before creating to confirm the configuration targets the correct agents.
  • Test new configurations in a development environment before activating them in production.

Permissions

To manage configurations from templates, you must have the proper permissions. Grant access in either of the following ways:

  • Assign an admin role (Legacy Admin, Organization Admin, or Data Admin), which automatically provides full Fleet Management permissions.

  • Grant explicit remote configuration permissions using the FleetManagement permission preset or an individual permission.

    PresetActionDescription
    FleetManagementREMOTE-CONFIGURATION:MANAGEManage remote configurations (create, edit, activate, deactivate)

See Permissions for details.

Troubleshoot

Agent preview panel shows no matching agents The agent selector criteria do not match any registered agents. Verify that the agent selector attributes (operating system, labels, version) match agents visible in the Agent management tab.

Learn more

Need help? Contact Support.
What's new? Find out here.
LLM? Read llms.txt.
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