Sumo Logic OpenTelemetry vs OpenTelemetry Upstream Relationship
This document explains the purpose of the Sumo Logic Distribution for OpenTelemetry Collector, why we offer an alternative distribution of the OpenTelemetry (OTel) Collector, and our approach to versioning and handling breaking changes.
The Sumo Logic Distribution for OpenTelemetry Collector is our custom build of the open-source standard OpenTelemetry Collector. Our build supports everything the standard collector does, and includes Sumo-specific changes and extensions that are optimized for interacting with Sumo Logic’s API.
Our aim is to extend and not to replace the OpenTelemetry Collector. Releasing our own distribution allows us to:
- Include Sumo Logic platform-specific features
- Provide a easier user experience by having a tighter integration between the collector and SumoLogic SaaS service
- Provide better customer support
- Bypass the OpenTelemetry release schedule for critical bug fixes
- Provide various installation methods
- Quickly respond to customer needs
- Offer use case oriented documentation
We work closely with the OpenTelemetry community in order to improve overall experience by:
- Attending SIG meetings
- Creating issues in upstream if we find a bug or have a feature request
- Issuing pull requests in upstream with bug fixes and features
Versioning policy
The Sumo Logic Distribution for OpenTelemetry Collector version numbers are based on the upstream OpenTelemetry Collector version numbers.
For example, the v0.47.0-sumo-0 version is based on v0.47.0 of the OpenTelemetry Collector core and contrib packages.
To avoid confusion, we will add its specific features when updating the OpenTelemetry Collector version. We release our distribution up to a week after the OpenTelemetry Collector is released every two weeks. If there are critical fixes in our code, we will provide a version with the same base as the OpenTelemetry Collector, but with a changed suffix such as v0.47.0-sumo-1.
Breaking changes policy
Since the OpenTelemetry Collector is updated frequently, there may be breaking changes between releases that we inherit in the Sumo Logic Distribution for OpenTelemetry Collector. We follow the same policy, so minor updates may also contain breaking changes. Therefore, it's important to read the release notes carefully before upgrading to a new version.