{"id":2149,"library":"opentelemetry-exporter-gcp-monitoring","title":"Google Cloud Monitoring Exporter for OpenTelemetry","description":"The `opentelemetry-exporter-gcp-monitoring` library provides an OpenTelemetry Python exporter for sending metrics to Google Cloud Monitoring. It is part of the `opentelemetry-operations-python` project, ensuring compatibility with other Google Cloud OpenTelemetry components. The current version is 1.11.0a0 and the project maintains a regular release cadence with frequent updates.","status":"active","version":"1.11.0a0","language":"en","source_language":"en","source_url":"https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/opentelemetry-operations-python/tree/main/opentelemetry-exporter-gcp-monitoring","tags":["opentelemetry","gcp","google-cloud","monitoring","metrics","exporter","observability"],"install":[{"cmd":"pip install opentelemetry-exporter-gcp-monitoring","lang":"bash","label":"Install latest version"}],"dependencies":[{"reason":"Core OpenTelemetry API for defining instrumentation.","package":"opentelemetry-api"},{"reason":"OpenTelemetry SDK for processing and exporting telemetry data.","package":"opentelemetry-sdk"},{"reason":"Google Cloud client library for interacting with the Cloud Monitoring API.","package":"google-cloud-monitoring"},{"reason":"Google Authentication Library for Python, used for GCP credential management.","package":"google-auth"}],"imports":[{"symbol":"CloudMonitoringMetricsExporter","correct":"from opentelemetry.exporter.gcp_monitoring import CloudMonitoringMetricsExporter"}],"quickstart":{"code":"import os\nimport time\nfrom opentelemetry import metrics\nfrom opentelemetry.exporter.gcp_monitoring import CloudMonitoringMetricsExporter\nfrom opentelemetry.sdk.metrics import MeterProvider\nfrom opentelemetry.sdk.resources import Resource\nfrom opentelemetry.sdk.metrics.export import PeriodicExportingMetricReader\n\n# Ensure your Google Cloud credentials are set up (e.g., via GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS)\n# os.environ['GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS'] = '/path/to/your/key.json'\n\n# Configure Resource attributes (these map to GCP MonitoredResource labels)\nresource = Resource.create(\n    {\n        \"service.name\": os.environ.get('SERVICE_NAME', 'my-gcp-metrics-service'),\n        \"service.namespace\": os.environ.get('SERVICE_NAMESPACE', 'default'),\n        \"service.instance.id\": os.environ.get('SERVICE_INSTANCE_ID', 'instance-1'),\n    }\n)\n\n# Configure the exporter and metric reader\nexporter = CloudMonitoringMetricsExporter()\nreader = PeriodicExportingMetricReader(\n    exporter,\n    export_interval_millis=5000, # Export every 5 seconds\n    export_timeout_millis=30000 # Timeout after 30 seconds\n)\n\nmeter_provider = MeterProvider(metric_readers=[reader], resource=resource)\nmetrics.set_meter_provider(meter_provider)\n\n# Create a meter from the global meter provider\nmeter = metrics.get_meter(__name__)\n\n# Create a counter instrument\ncounter = meter.create_counter(\n    \"my_app_requests_total\",\n    description=\"Total number of application requests\",\n    unit=\"1\",\n)\n\n# Record some measurements\nprint(\"Recording metrics...\")\nfor i in range(5):\n    counter.add(1, {\"http_method\": \"GET\", \"http_status\": \"200\"})\n    counter.add(1, {\"http_method\": \"POST\", \"http_status\": \"201\"})\n    print(f\"  Added metrics batch {i+1}\")\n    time.sleep(2) # Sleep to allow multiple export intervals\n\nprint(\"Metrics sent to Google Cloud Monitoring. Check your dashboard.\")\n\n# Flush and shutdown the provider to ensure all metrics are exported\nmeter_provider.shutdown()\nprint(\"Metric provider shut down.\")","lang":"python","description":"This quickstart demonstrates how to configure the `CloudMonitoringMetricsExporter` to send custom metrics to Google Cloud Monitoring. It sets up a `MeterProvider` with a `PeriodicExportingMetricReader` to automatically export metrics at a defined interval. Ensure your Google Cloud authentication (e.g., `GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS` environment variable or default application credentials) is properly configured for the exporter to work. Resource attributes are crucial as they map to GCP monitored resource labels."},"warnings":[{"fix":"Review the exact version constraints and ensure your `opentelemetry-sdk` version is within the specified bounds for all OpenTelemetry components you are using.","message":"Version 1.11.0a0 introduced an upper bound on `opentelemetry-sdk` due to potential breaking changes related to logging exporters. If you are also using OpenTelemetry logging components, ensure careful version management to avoid conflicts.","severity":"breaking","affected_versions":"1.11.0a0+"},{"fix":"Configure your Google Cloud credentials correctly in your environment (e.g., `export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/key.json` or `gcloud auth application-default login`).","message":"Proper Google Cloud authentication is required for the exporter to send metrics. The library relies on `google-auth` to find credentials, typically through `GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS` environment variable, `gcloud` CLI defaults, or service account attached to the VM/environment.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"All versions"},{"fix":"Always define a `Resource` with meaningful attributes that align with GCP's monitored resource types and labels. Consult GCP documentation for standard resource types.","message":"OpenTelemetry Resource attributes are mapped to Google Cloud Monitoring MonitoredResource labels. Incorrect or missing critical resource attributes (e.g., `service.name`, `service.namespace`) can lead to metrics not appearing or being incorrectly categorized in Cloud Monitoring.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"1.4.0+"},{"fix":"For short-lived applications or on application shutdown, ensure you call `meter_provider.shutdown()` or `meter_provider.force_flush()` to guarantee all buffered metrics are exported. For long-running apps, configure an appropriate `export_interval_millis`.","message":"The `PeriodicExportingMetricReader` exports metrics at a specified interval. If your application exits before an export interval completes or before a manual `shutdown()` or `force_flush()` call, recent metrics may not be sent to Cloud Monitoring.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"All versions"}],"env_vars":null,"last_verified":"2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z","next_check":"2026-07-08T00:00:00.000Z"}