Integrating Databrain with SigNoz
This guide explains how to send OpenTelemetry traces, metrics, and logs from your self-hosted Databrain instance to SigNoz, an open-source observability platform.Why SigNoz?
SigNoz is a great choice for self-hosted observability:- 100% Open Source: No vendor lock-in
- OpenTelemetry Native: Built specifically for OTel
- All-in-One: Traces, metrics, and logs in a single platform
- Cost-Effective: Self-hosted means no per-event pricing
- Easy to Deploy: Docker Compose or Kubernetes deployment
Prerequisites
- Databrain self-hosted version with OpenTelemetry support
- Docker and Docker Compose (for SigNoz installation)
- 4GB+ RAM for SigNoz (8GB recommended for production)
Option 1: SigNoz Cloud (Easiest)
If you prefer a managed solution, use SigNoz Cloud:1. Sign Up for SigNoz Cloud
- Go to https://signoz.io/teams/
- Create a free account
- Note your ingestion endpoint and ingestion key
2. Configure Databrain
3. Docker Compose Configuration
Option 2: Self-Hosted SigNoz (Recommended for Production)
1. Install SigNoz
Using Docker Compose (Quick Start)
- SigNoz UI: http://localhost:3301
- OTLP Receiver (gRPC): localhost:4317
- OTLP Receiver (HTTP): localhost:4318
- ClickHouse: For data storage
- Query Service: For querying data
Using Docker Compose (Custom Network)
If Databrain is on the same Docker network:2. Configure Databrain for Self-Hosted SigNoz
Same Docker Network
Separate Hosts
If SigNoz is on a different host:3. Kubernetes Deployment
Deploy SigNoz on Kubernetes
Configure Databrain
What Gets Sent to SigNoz
| Telemetry Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Traces | Full distributed traces with all spans |
| Metrics | Request rates, latency histograms, error rates |
| Logs | Structured logs with trace correlation |
Verification
1. Check SigNoz is Running
2. Restart Databrain
3. Generate Test Traffic
4. View in SigNoz UI
- Open SigNoz: http://localhost:3301 (or your configured URL)
- Go to Services → You should see
databrain-api - Click on service to see metrics:
- Request rate (requests per second)
- Error rate (%)
- Latency (p50, p90, p95, p99)
- Apdex score
- Go to Traces → Filter by
serviceName=databrain-api - Click on any trace to see the full waterfall view
5. Check Logs
- Go to Logs tab
- Filter:
service_name = databrain-api - Click on any log entry
- See Related Traces section for correlated traces
SigNoz Features
1. Service Dashboard
The service dashboard shows:- RED metrics: Rate, Errors, Duration
- Apdex score: User satisfaction metric
- Operations: Individual endpoint performance
- Database calls: Query performance breakdown
- External calls: Downstream service latency
2. Traces Explorer
Advanced trace filtering:- Service name
- Operation name
- HTTP status code
- Duration
- Error status
- Custom tags (userId, metricId, etc.)
3. Service Map
Visualize service dependencies:- Go to Service Map
- See databrain-api and its dependencies:
- PostgreSQL
- Redis
- Hasura
- Keycloak
- S3
- Click on connections to see request rates and error rates
4. Logs Management
SigNoz provides powerful log querying: Query examples:- Click on any log → see Trace button
- Jump directly to the trace that generated this log
5. Alerts
Create alerts in SigNoz:High Error Rate Alert
- Go to Alerts → New Alert
- Alert Type: Metrics Alert
- Metric Query:
- Condition:
> 5(5% error rate) - For:
5 minutes - Add notification channel (Slack, email, webhook)
High Latency Alert
- Metric Query:
- Condition:
> 2000(2 seconds) - For:
5 minutes
6. Dashboards
Create custom dashboards:- Go to Dashboards → New Dashboard
- Add panels:
Advanced Configuration
Sampling
Add sampling to the OTel collector config:Resource Attributes
Add custom resource attributes:Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| No data in SigNoz | Check OTel collector logs: docker logs signoz-otel-collector |
| Cannot connect to SigNoz | Verify networks and firewall rules |
| Missing logs | Ensure Winston is configured with JSON format |
| High disk usage | Adjust ClickHouse retention settings |
| Slow queries | Increase ClickHouse resources or add indexes |
Debug SigNoz Collector
Debug Databrain Connection
Check ClickHouse
Data Retention
Configure retention in ClickHouse:clickhouse-config.xml:
Performance Tuning
For High Traffic (>10K requests/minute)
- Increase ClickHouse resources:
- Batch processing:
- Use buffer:
Backup and Restore
Backup ClickHouse Data
Restore from Backup
Upgrading SigNoz
Community & Support
- Documentation: https://signoz.io/docs/
- Slack Community: https://signoz.io/slack
- GitHub: https://github.com/SigNoz/signoz
- GitHub Discussions: https://github.com/SigNoz/signoz/discussions

