Using profiler-based zero-code instrumentation

EDOT .NET includes a redistribution of the zero-code installer scripts so most of the documentation in the upstream .NET zero-code instrumentation documentation applies.

Use the EDOT .NET automatic instrumentation to send traces and metrics from .NET applications and services to observability backends without having to modify source code.

Compatibility

EDOT .NET automatic instrumentation should work with all officially supported operating systems and versions of .NET.

The minimal supported version of .NET Framework is 4.6.2.

Supported processor architectures are:

• x86
• AMD64 (x86-64)
• ARM64 (Experimental)

ARM64 build does not support CentOS based images.

Setup

To instrument a .NET application automatically, download and run the installer script for your operating system.

Linux and macOS

Download and run the .sh script:

# Download the bash script
curl -sSfL https://github.com/open-telemetry/elastic-otel-dotnet/releases/latest/download/otel-dotnet-auto-install.sh -O

# Install core files
sh ./otel-dotnet-auto-install.sh

# Enable execution for the instrumentation script
chmod +x $HOME/.otel-dotnet-auto/instrument.sh

# Setup the instrumentation for the current shell session
. $HOME/.otel-dotnet-auto/instrument.sh

# Run your application with instrumentation
OTEL_SERVICE_NAME=myapp OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES=deployment.environment=staging,service.version=1.0.0 ./MyNetApp

Windows (PowerShell)

On Windows, use the PowerShell module as an Administrator:

# PowerShell 5.1 or higher is required
# Download the module
$module_url = "https://github.com/open-telemetry/elastic-otel-dotnet/releases/latest/download/OpenTelemetry.DotNet.Auto.psm1"
$download_path = Join-Path $env:temp "OpenTelemetry.DotNet.Auto.psm1"
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $module_url -OutFile $download_path -UseBasicParsing

# Import the module to use its functions
Import-Module $download_path

# Install core files (online vs offline method)
Install-OpenTelemetryCore
Install-OpenTelemetryCore -LocalPath "C:\Path\To\OpenTelemetry.zip"

# Set up the instrumentation for the current PowerShell session
Register-OpenTelemetryForCurrentSession -OTelServiceName "MyServiceDisplayName"

# Run your application with instrumentation
.\MyNetApp.exe

# You can get usage information by calling the following commands

# List all available commands
Get-Command -Module OpenTelemetry.DotNet.Auto

# Get command's usage information
Get-Help Install-OpenTelemetryCore -Detailed

For more information on instrumenting specific applicatin types visit the upstream OpenTelemetry documentation.