Install otel-cli with Homebrew, Nix

Project links

• Homepage

Commands and aliases

• otel-cli

Project history

GitHub records `equinix-labs/otel-cli` as created on 2021-01-08. The README describes the tool as a Go program for sending OpenTelemetry traces, built for shell scripts and places where executing another program is the best available way to create spans.

The project follows OpenTelemetry's configuration culture: CLI flags, JSON config, and environment variables map onto OTEL-style endpoint, protocol, timeout, header, service-name, and traceparent settings. The README also documents a deliberate non-recording default when no endpoint is configured, so adding the command to a script does not break normal execution before tracing is enabled.

Adoption history

otel-cli's adoption niche is observability for glue code. OpenTelemetry SDKs cover application languages, but shell scripts, CI jobs, and one-off operational commands often need a lower-friction path. The README recommends using a localhost OpenTelemetry Collector to buffer spans and avoid per-command connection overhead.

Release assets broadened installation beyond Go source builds. The README documents tar.gz, Windows zip, Alpine apk, Red Hat rpm, Debian deb, Docker images, and a Homebrew tap, while the av.db input records a Homebrew formula and Nix package.

How it is used

Users wrap commands with `otel-cli exec` to run a process inside a span, call `otel-cli span` to emit spans with explicit start and end times, pass W3C `traceparent` context through environment variables or arguments, and run `otel-cli server tui` or `otel-cli server json` for local inspection and test capture.

The tool is especially useful in CI/CD and operations scripts because it can bridge command execution into an OpenTelemetry backend without rewriting the script in a language SDK. It can send to an OpenTelemetry Collector or to vendors that accept OTLP.

Why package nerds care

otel-cli is package-nerd significant because it turns an observability protocol into a packageable executable. Its release matrix, environment-variable compatibility, and package-manager availability are part of the product: a tracing tool for scripts only works if it is easy to install wherever scripts run.

Timeline

• 2021-01-08: GitHub records creation of `equinix-labs/otel-cli`.
• 2021-08-18: a GitHub issue from a Jenkins OpenTelemetry plugin maintainer requested binaries to ease adoption.
• 2022-02-24: GitHub release v0.0.20 shipped packaged binaries and changelog entries including `--fail` and OTLP endpoint handling fixes.
• 2024-04-01: GitHub release v0.4.5 was published with multi-platform package assets.

Related projects

• OpenTelemetry defines the observability APIs, SDKs, OTLP protocol, and semantic conventions that otel-cli emits into.
• The OpenTelemetry Collector is the recommended local receiver/buffer in the README.
• otel-desktop-viewer is documented as a local receiver/UI option for trying spans generated by otel-cli.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/equinix-labs/otel-cli
• https://api.github.com/repos/equinix-labs/otel-cli/releases
• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/otel-cli
• https://github.com/equinix-labs/otel-cli
• https://github.com/equinix-labs/otel-cli/issues/37
• https://opentelemetry.io/docs/what-is-opentelemetry/
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/equinix-labs/otel-cli/main/README.md