# beyla

Auto-instruments HTTP, gRPC, and database traffic using Grafana Beyla eBPF without application code changes. Useful when you need traces and RED metrics from prebuilt binaries.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 4700 installs · ★ 290
- Author: grafana
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/grafana/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/grafana-core/beyla/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-25
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/beyla

## What it does

This skill guides the configuration of Grafana Beyla to inspect application traffic across Go, Java, Python, Node, Ruby, .NET, Rust, C++, and PHP. It provides workflows for running Beyla in Docker alongside an existing process or rolling it out as a cluster-wide Kubernetes DaemonSet. Beyla captures runtime network calls, forwarding OTLP traces to Tempo and Prometheus metrics to scraping endpoints.

System prerequisites are strict. Without Linux kernel 5.8 or higher with BTF enabled, Beyla fails to load its BPF objects. Containers also require `CAP_SYS_ADMIN` or `privileged: true` paired with `hostPID: true` to inspect host sockets. The skill includes setup patterns for trace sampling, Grafana Cloud routing via Alloy, and heuristic route decorators to stop Prometheus cardinality explosion.

## Requirements
- Works with: Grafana, Docker, Kubernetes

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill beyla -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/beyla/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/beyla/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill beyla -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/beyla/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill beyla -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/beyla/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install grafana/skills beyla
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/beyla/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill beyla -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/grafana/skills --path skills/grafana-core/beyla
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/beyla/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill beyla -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/grafana/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/grafana-core/beyla/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- collect OTLP traces and RED metrics without modifying source code
- deploy Grafana Beyla as a cluster-wide Kubernetes DaemonSet
- prevent Prometheus route cardinality explosions using heuristic decorators
- forward eBPF telemetry to Grafana Cloud through Alloy

## Example prompts
- Help me run Grafana Beyla in Docker against a service listening on port 8080.
- Generate a Kubernetes DaemonSet manifest for Beyla exporting to Tempo.
- How do I fix the failed to load BPF object error when launching Beyla?

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 64370c07d7eb11e4.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 64370c07d7eb11e4
````text
---
name: beyla
license: Apache-2.0
description: Auto-instrument an application's HTTP / gRPC / DB traffic with Grafana Beyla eBPF — no code changes, no SDK, no restart. Covers requirements (Linux 5.8+ with BTF, CAP_SYS_ADMIN, host PID), language matrix (Go / Java / Python / Ruby / Node / .NET / Rust / C++ / PHP), Docker + Helm + DaemonSet install, port- / process- / Kubernetes-metadata discovery, OTLP traces + Prometheus metrics export, routes decorator (cardinality control), trace sampling, and Grafana Cloud via Alloy. Use when adding observability to a service you can't recompile, instrumenting a closed-source binary, getting RED metrics + spans onto Tempo/Mimir without touching the app, or rolling Beyla as a cluster-wide DaemonSet — even when the user says "zero-code APM", "instrument legacy app", "trace this binary", "eBPF observability", or "no SDK" without naming Beyla.
---

# Grafana Beyla

> **Docs**: https://grafana.com/docs/beyla/latest/

Zero-code HTTP / gRPC / DB instrumentation via eBPF. Emits OTLP traces + Prometheus metrics.

## Prerequisites

- Linux kernel **5.8+** with BTF enabled (`ls /sys/kernel/btf/vmlinux` must exist)
- Root or `CAP_SYS_ADMIN` (or `privileged: true` in Kubernetes + `hostPID: true`)
- x86_64 or ARM64
- An OTLP receiver (Tempo, Alloy, OTel Collector) reachable from Beyla

## Common Workflows

### 1. Instrument a single binary with Docker

```bash
# 1. Run Beyla against the app's port (the app must already be running, listening on 8080)
docker run --privileged --pid=host \
  -v /sys/kernel/debug:/sys/kernel/debug:ro \
  -e BEYLA_OPEN_PORT=8080 \
  -e BEYLA_PROMETHEUS_PORT=8999 \
  -e OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=http://otel-collector:4318 \
  -p 8999:8999 \
  grafana/beyla

# 2. Generate some traffic
curl http://localhost:8080/ ; curl http://localhost:8080/api/users/42

# 3. Verify Beyla emitted metrics — should list http_server_request_duration_seconds + counters
curl -s http://localhost:8999/metrics | grep -E '^http_(server|client)_request_duration'

# 4. Verify traces — in Grafana Explore on Tempo, search by service.name (default = process name)
#    Or: query Tempo's search API for spans with service.name="<app>"
```

### 2. Deploy as a cluster-wide DaemonSet

Full DaemonSet + RBAC YAML lives in [`references/kubernetes.md`](references/kubernetes.md). After applying:

```bash
# 1. Verify DaemonSet rollout
kubectl -n monitoring rollout status ds/beyla

# 2. Verify pods are Running, one per node
kubectl -n monitoring get pods -l app=beyla -o wide

# 3. Verify eBPF probes attached (no errors mentioning BTF or "permission denied")
kubectl -n monitoring logs ds/beyla --tail=50 | grep -Ei 'error|fail|btf' || echo "clean"

# 4. Verify telemetry is flowing — check the Tempo/Alloy receiver for spans from the cluster
#    Or scrape one pod directly:
kubectl -n monitoring port-forward ds/beyla 8999:8999 &
curl -s localhost:8999/metrics | head
```

### 3. Send to Grafana Cloud via Alloy

```yaml
# beyla-config.yml
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 64370c07d7eb11e4

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 64370c07d7eb11e4 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

First 3004 of 4250 bytes. © grafana · Apache-2.0 · https://github.com/grafana/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/grafana-core/beyla/SKILL.md

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