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Ingesting OTLP Traces into Maxim

Maxim provides an OTLP ingestion endpoint that accepts traces in the vendor-neutral, industry-standard OpenTelemetry Protocol format. This enables deep insights into your AI systems using existing OpenTelemetry instrumentation. Endpoint: https://api.getmaxim.ai/v1/otel Supported Protocols:
ProtocolContent-Type
HTTP + Protobuf (binary)application/x-protobuf or application/protobuf
HTTP + JSONapplication/json
Authentication Headers:
  • x-maxim-api-key: Your Maxim API Key
  • x-maxim-repo-id: Your Maxim Log Repository ID
  • Content-Type: application/json, application/x-protobuf, or application/protobuf
Python Example: 
from opentelemetry.exporter.otlp.proto.http import trace_exporter
OTLPSpanExporter = trace_exporter.OTLPSpanExporter
from opentelemetry.sdk.trace.export import SimpleSpanProcessor
from opentelemetry.sdk import trace as trace_sdk
from opentelemetry import trace as trace_api

maxim_api_key = "your_api_key_here"
repo_id = "your_repository_id_here"

tracer_provider = trace_sdk.TracerProvider()
span_exporter = OTLPSpanExporter(
    endpoint="https://api.getmaxim.ai/v1/otel",
    headers={
        "x-maxim-api-key": f"{maxim_api_key}",
        "x-maxim-repo-id": f"{repo_id}",
    },
)

tracer_provider.add_span_processor(SimpleSpanProcessor(span_exporter))
trace_api.set_tracer_provider(tracer_provider)
Maxim supports traces that follow the OpenTelemetry Semantic Conventions for Generative AI, ensuring all AI/LLM-specific attributes are captured.

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Forwarding Traces via Data Connectors

Maxim can also act as your central observability hub. Send traces once to Maxim, and forward them to your preferred observability platforms while getting AI-powered insights. Supported Forwarding Destinations:
  • New Relic
  • Snowflake
  • Any OpenTelemetry (OTLP) collector
To set up forwarding, navigate to your log repository, click the top-right menu, and select “Set up data connectors.”

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Benefits of Using Maxim as Your Observability Hub

  • Single Instrumentation: Instrument once with Maxim, forward to multiple destinations
  • Enriched Data: Maxim enhances your traces with AI context before forwarding
  • Consistent Format: Normalized data across all your observability tools
  • Reduced Overhead: Lower instrumentation maintenance and network traffic
  • Centralized Control: Manage all your observability connections in one place

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Connecting to an OTLP Collector

1
Select “Other OTel collector” in the data connectors setup dialog
2
Name your connector (e.g., “Production connector”)
3
Choose HTTP or gRPC protocol and enter your OTLP collector URL
4
Configure authentication headers as needed
Maxim exports traces following OpenTelemetry semantic conventions, ensuring compatibility with platforms like New Relic and other OTLP collectors. Trace forwarding happens asynchronously and doesn’t impact your application performance.

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Best Practices

  • Use binary Protobuf (application/x-protobuf) for optimal performance and robustness
  • Batch traces to reduce network overhead
  • Include rich attributes following GenAI semantic conventions
  • Secure your headers and avoid exposing credentials
Learn more in the documentation for ingesting via OTLP endpoint and forwarding via data connectors.