- What does plunkettscott/laravel-otel do?
- It is a Laravel package that adds OpenTelemetry instrumentation to framework and runtime signals, emitting traces, metrics, and logs through OTLP exporters. It covers HTTP requests, database queries, queues, and console commands, and ships with middleware, service provider wiring, and publishable configuration. It is aimed at Laravel services that want vendor-neutral observability without writing custom instrumentation for every framework feature.
- How do I install laravel-otel in a Laravel application?
- Install it with Composer using composer require plunkettscott/laravel-otel, then publish the package configuration and point the OTLP exporter at your collector or backend. Laravel package discovery should wire up the service provider, but you should confirm the package's install steps against the README. Validate the setup in a non-production service before enabling it broadly.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does laravel-otel support?
- The provided package overview does not list an explicit Laravel and PHP version matrix, so check the composer.json constraints and README before adopting it. It is also worth confirming compatibility with the specific OpenTelemetry SDK and OTLP exporter versions you run. Because v0.4.x is pre-1.0, treat the supported matrix and upgrade path as items to verify rather than assume.
- How do I configure the OTLP exporter endpoint and service name for laravel-otel?
- The package includes publishable configuration, so publish it and set your OTLP endpoint, service name, and any resource attributes there. Point it at a non-production collector first and confirm that traces, metrics, and logs arrive with the expected service identifiers. Review sampling and export defaults in the config before rolling it out to production traffic.
- Does laravel-otel automatically instrument database queries, queues, and console commands?
- Yes, the package description covers instrumentation for HTTP requests, database queries, queues, and console commands, with traces, metrics, and logs emitted through OTLP exporters. The exact defaults for each watcher and whether some areas are opt-in should be confirmed in the published config. Enable instrumentation areas one at a time so you can validate spans and labels without confusion.
- What changed in laravel-otel v0.4.2 for ScheduleWatcherOptions?
- Version 0.4.2 is a narrow patch targeting ScheduleWatcherOptions, which suggests the scheduler watcher's configuration keys or behavior were adjusted. The release does not appear to introduce a new feature or breaking change, which makes it low-friction to adopt. Verify the scheduler configuration keys and defaults in a non-production environment, especially if scheduled-task visibility matters to you.
- Can I enable or disable specific instrumentation, such as the scheduler watcher?
- The package exposes publishable configuration and middleware, and the v0.4.2 patch indicates scheduler watcher options are configurable. Use the config file to tune which instrumentation areas are active and to set exporter and sampling behavior. Start with one area enabled, validate the output, and then expand coverage.
- Will laravel-otel create duplicate spans if I already have custom OpenTelemetry tracing?
- Duplicate spans are a real risk if the package instruments the same HTTP, database, queue, or console signals that your custom tracing already covers. Do not run it alongside overlapping custom instrumentation until you understand how the signals combine. Validate in a non-production service and check for duplicated spans and inflated telemetry costs before enabling both.
- Is laravel-otel safe for production and what is the performance overhead?
- The main production concerns are instrumentation overhead, sampling choices, batching, and exporter backpressure, not the v0.4.2 patch itself. Because the package is pre-1.0, pin the release, canary it in production, and document rollback through config changes or package removal. Confirm that your OTLP collector and backend can handle the volume before enabling it on high-traffic services.
- How should I test laravel-otel, and is it actively maintained?
- Treat v0.4.2 as a pinned pilot release, install it in a non-production Laravel service, and point it at a non-production OTel collector to validate traces, metrics, and logs. The small contributor patch is a positive maintenance signal, but the community support model and pre-1.0 status mean you should review release notes and confirm issue responsiveness and documentation quality. For alternatives, compare it with manual OpenTelemetry instrumentation or other Laravel observability packages if you need a longer support commitment.