Introduction

Astra Traffic Collector (ATC) receives and processes OpenTelemetry (OTel) traces emitted by sensors and forwards them to the API Security Platform for inventory creation and analysis.

This guide explains how to verify that Astra Traffic Collector is receiving traces successfully, review collector logs, identify common issues, and validate that telemetry data is being processed correctly. The troubleshooting steps cover both Docker-based and Kubernetes-based deployments.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with trace verification, ensure the following:

• Astra Traffic Collector (ATC) is installed and running.

• At least one sensor is configured to send OpenTelemetry (OTel) traces to Astra Traffic Collector.

• Access to the host or Kubernetes cluster where Astra Traffic Collector is deployed.

• Permissions to view container or pod logs.

• The sensor is generating traffic, or test API traffic is available for validation.

Steps to verify

1. ATC Installed in a Cloud VM or Local Machine (Docker-based)

If ATC is deployed as a Docker container, use the following commands to inspect logs and verify incoming traces.

View Logs from the Last 15 Minutes

docker logs astra-traffic-collector --since=15m

View Logs from the Last Hour

docker logs astra-traffic-collector --since=1h

View Logs from the Last Day

docker logs astra-traffic-collector --since=1d

Save Logs from the Last Day to a File

docker logs astra-traffic-collector --since=1d > collector_logs.txt 2>&1

Tail Logs in Real Time

docker logs astra-traffic-collector --tail=0 -f

Tail Logs in Real Time and Save to a File

docker logs astra-traffic-collector --tail=0 -f > collector_logs.txt 2>&1 &

The & at the end runs the process in the background, allowing you to continue using the terminal.

2. ATC Installed in Kubernetes Infrastructure

If ATC is deployed on Kubernetes, the pod is typically named astra-traffic-collector-0 and resides in the astra-collector namespace.

View Logs from the Last 15 Minutes

kubectl logs astra-traffic-collector-0 -n astra-collector --since=15m

View Logs from the Last Hour

kubectl logs astra-traffic-collector-0 -n astra-collector --since=1h

View Logs from the Last Day

kubectl logs astra-traffic-collector-0 -n astra-collector --since=1d

Save Logs from the Last Day to a File

kubectl logs astra-traffic-collector-0 -n astra-collector --since=1d > collector_logs.txt 2>&1

Tail Logs in Real Time

kubectl logs astra-traffic-collector-0 -n astra-collector --tail=0 -f

Logs in Real Time and Save to a File

kubectl logs astra-traffic-collector-0 -n astra-collector --tail=0 -f > collector_logs.txt 2>&1 &

The & at the end runs the process in the background, allowing you to continue using the terminal.

3. What to Look for in the Logs

When reviewing ATC logs, you should check for:

• Successful trace ingestion messages (indicating OTel traces are being received from sensors).

  • Look out for otel attributes like sensor.id collector.id http.target http.host http.status_code

  • Absence of such attributes will cause failure and inventory can not be created form such traces

• Error or warning messages such as:

  • Configuration issue

  • Authentication failures (invalid clientID or clientSecret).

  • Exporter errors when sending data to the API Security Platform.

• Performance warnings about dropped spans due to high load.

4. Additional Verification

1. Confirm the sensor is actively sending traces:

   • Check sensor logs for export confirmation messages.

   • Ensure sensorID matches the one configured in the API Security Platform.

2. Use the Active Integrations page in the portal to verify that the ATC shows as active.

3. Generate a small amount of test API traffic and confirm it appears in the API inventory or trace view.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

I do not see any trace/log being printed for astra traffic collector service at all

Logs are only visible if and when your sensor emits an opentelemetry (otel) trace to Astra Traffic Collector. Check if collectorURL or astra-traffic-collector endpoint is properly configured in your sensor. Ensure the relevant port of astra traffic collector i.e. 4317 or 4318 is accessible for the sensor.