Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry Exporter for Python

---
name: azure-monitor-opentelemetry-exporter-py
description: Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry Exporter for Python. Use for low-level OpenTelemetry export to Application Insights.
risk: critical
source: community
date_added: '2026-02-27'
---

# Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry Exporter for Python

Low-level exporter for sending OpenTelemetry traces, metrics, and logs to Application Insights.

## Installation

```bash
pip install azure-monitor-opentelemetry-exporter
```

## Environment Variables

```bash
export APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING='InstrumentationKey=xxx;IngestionEndpoint=https://xxx.in.applicationinsights.azure.com/'
```

## When to Use
| Scenario | Use |
|----------|-----|
| Quick setup, auto-instrumentation | `azure-monitor-opentelemetry` (distro) |
| Custom OpenTelemetry pipeline | `azure-monitor-opentelemetry-exporter` (this) |
| Fine-grained control over telemetry | `azure-monitor-opentelemetry-exporter` (this) |

## Export and privacy boundary

Telemetry leaves the application for Azure and may also persist locally in offline storage. Review fields, endpoints, credentials, retention and cost; redact secrets and personal data before export. Reuse an existing provider instead of repeatedly resetting global providers, and flush/shut down providers during process termination. The independent snippets below are alternatives, not a single combined initialization script.

## Trace Exporter

```python
from opentelemetry import trace
from opentelemetry.sdk.trace import TracerProvider
from opentelemetry.sdk.trace.export import BatchSpanProcessor
from azure.monitor.opentelemetry.exporter import AzureMonitorTraceExporter

# Create exporter
exporter = AzureMonitorTraceExporter(
    connection_string="InstrumentationKey=xxx;..."
)

# Configure tracer provider
trace.set_tracer_provider(TracerProvider())
trace.get_tracer_provider().add_span_processor(
    BatchSpanProcessor(exporter)
)

# Use tracer
tracer = trace.get_tracer(__name__)
with tracer.start_as_current_span("my-span"):
    print("Hello, World!")
```

## Metric Exporter

```python
from opentelemetry import metrics
from opentelemetry.sdk.metrics import MeterProvider
from opentelemetry.sdk.metrics.export import PeriodicExportingMetricReader
from azure.monitor.opentelemetry.exporter import AzureMonitorMetricExporter

# Create exporter
exporter = AzureMonitorMetricExporter(
    connection_string="InstrumentationKey=xxx;..."
)

# Configure meter provider
reader = PeriodicExportingMetricReader(exporter, export_interval_millis=60000)
metrics.set_meter_provider(MeterProvider(metric_readers=[reader]))

# Use meter
meter = metrics.get_meter(__name__)
counter = meter.create_counter("requests_total")
counter.add(1, {"route": "/api/users"})
```

## Log Exporter

```python
import logging
from opentelemetry._logs import set_logger_provider
from opentelemetry.sdk._logs import LoggerProvider, LoggingHandler
from opentelemetry.sdk._logs.export import BatchLogRecordProcessor
from azure.monitor.opentelemetry.exporter import AzureMonitorLogExporter

# Create exporter
exporter = AzureMonitorLogExporter(
    connection_string="InstrumentationKey=xxx;..."
)

# Configure logger provider
logger_provider = LoggerProvider()
logger_provider.add_log_record_processor(BatchLogRecordProcessor(exporter))
set_logger_provider(logger_provider)

# Add handler to Python logging
handler = LoggingHandler(level=logging.INFO, logger_provider=logger_provider)
logging.getLogger().addHandler(handler)

# Use logging
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
logger.info("This will be sent to Application Insights")
```

## From Environment Variable

Exporters read `APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING` automatically:

```python
from azure.monitor.opentelemetry.exporter import AzureMonitorTraceExporter

# Connection string from environment
exporter = AzureMonitorTraceExporter()
```

## Azure AD Authentication

```python
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.monitor.opentelemetry.exporter import AzureMonitorTraceExporter

exporter = AzureMonitorTraceExporter(
    credential=DefaultAzureCredential()
)
```

## Sampling

Use `ApplicationInsightsSampler` for consistent sampling:

```python
from opentelemetry.sdk.trace import TracerProvider
from opentelemetry.sdk.trace.sampling import ParentBasedTraceIdRatio
from azure.monitor.opentelemetry.exporter import ApplicationInsightsSampler

# Sample 10% of traces
sampler = ApplicationInsightsSampler(sampling_ratio=0.1)

trace.set_tracer_provider(TracerProvider(sampler=sampler))
```

## Offline Storage

Configure offline storage for retry:

```python
from azure.monitor.opentelemetry.exporter import AzureMonitorTraceExporter

exporter = AzureMonitorTraceExporter(
    connection_string="...",
    storage_directory="/path/to/storage",  # Custom storage path
    disable_offline_storage=False  # Enable retry (default)
)
```

## Disable Offline Storage

```python
exporter = AzureMonitorTraceExporter(
    connection_string="...",
    disable_offline_storage=True  # Disable disk persistence; transport retry behavior is separate
)
```

## Sovereign Clouds

```python
from azure.identity import AzureAuthorityHosts, DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.monitor.opentelemetry.exporter import AzureMonitorTraceExporter

# Azure Government
credential = DefaultAzureCredential(authority=AzureAuthorityHosts.AZURE_GOVERNMENT)
exporter = AzureMonitorTraceExporter(
    connection_string="InstrumentationKey=xxx;IngestionEndpoint=https://xxx.in.applicationinsights.azure.us/",
    credential=credential
)
```

## Exporter Types

| Exporter | Telemetry Type | Application Insights Table |
|----------|---------------|---------------------------|
| `AzureMonitorTraceExporter` | Traces/Spans | requests, dependencies, exceptions |
| `AzureMonitorMetricExporter` | Metrics | customMetrics, performanceCounters |
| `AzureMonitorLogExporter` | Logs | traces, customEvents |

## Configuration Options

| Parameter | Description | Default |
|-----------|-------------|---------|
| `connection_string` | Application Insights connection string | From env var |
| `credential` | Azure credential for AAD auth | None |
| `disable_offline_storage` | Disable retry storage | False |
| `storage_directory` | Custom storage path | Temp directory |

## Best Practices

1. **Use BatchSpanProcessor** for production (not SimpleSpanProcessor)
2. **Use ApplicationInsightsSampler** for consistent sampling across services
3. **Enable offline storage** for reliability in production
4. **Use AAD authentication** instead of instrumentation keys
5. **Set export intervals** appropriate for your workload
6. **Use the distro** (`azure-monitor-opentelemetry`) unless you need custom pipelines

## Limitations
- Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
- Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
- Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.