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
All three are integrated in SigNoz’s unified interface.
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
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

