agent
Grafana Agent is an observability pipeline tool that collects, transforms, and routes telemetry data (metrics, logs, traces, profiles) to multiple backends. However, it reached end-of-life on November 1, 2025, and Grafana recommends migrating to Grafana Alloy as its successor.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | grafana/agent |
| Owner | grafana |
| Primary language | Go |
| License | Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 1.7k |
| Forks | 511 |
| Open issues | 143 |
| Latest release | v0.44.3 (2025-09-09) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-08 |
| Source | https://github.com/grafana/agent |
What agent is
A Go-based OpenTelemetry Collector distribution with component-based pipelines inspired by Terraform configuration syntax. Supports Prometheus remote write, OpenTelemetry, and Grafana ecosystem outputs, with Kubernetes discovery and service integrations built-in.
Get the agent source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/grafana/agent.gitcd agent# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Plan immediate migration to Grafana Alloy; EOL status means no further updates or security patches beyond November 2025.
- Terraform-inspired River language configuration requires team training; existing Prometheus Operator or OpenTelemetry Collector expertise does not directly transfer.
- Component-based pipeline model requires understanding of data flow topology; misconfiguration can cause data loss or routing errors.
- Kubernetes integration provides discovery but requires RBAC and API access; validate network policies and authentication in restricted environments.
- Scaling to millions of active series requires careful memory tuning and test load validation; no benchmark data provided in repository.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- New projects requiring long-term support — Grafana Agent is end-of-life as of November 1, 2025. New deployments should use Grafana Alloy instead to avoid immediate migration debt.
- Need for proprietary closed-source support SLA — No commercial support model or SLA information provided in repository. Community-driven via Slack, discussions, and issue tracking only.
- Serverless or minimal-footprint environments — Agent is designed for scalable agent-based deployment; lightweight serverless edge telemetry collection may have better-suited alternatives.
- Existing OpenTelemetry Collector standardization — If organization is already standardized on vanilla OpenTelemetry Collector, adopting a Grafana distribution introduces vendor lock-in and maintenance overhead.
License & commercial use
Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0), an OSI-approved permissive open-source license.
Apache-2.0 permits commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions (requires license and copyright notice). However, no commercial support, SLA, or indemnification provided by Grafana. EOL status means no vendor-backed updates. Enterprises should clarify long-term support expectations and consider Grafana Cloud or consulting partnerships if commercial terms are required.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Stale |
| Documentation | Strong |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | High |
| DEV.co fit | Possible |
| Assessment confidence | High |
No security audit or vulnerability history disclosed. Apache-2.0 license includes no warranty or liability limitations beyond standard OSI terms. EOL status means no patching for future CVEs. Secret handling (API keys, passwords) is component-based (local.file with is_secret flag); validation of secret masking and audit logging required. Runs as agent on host/pod; RBAC, network policies, and resource limits must be explicitly configured. Consult Grafana Alloy or OpenTelemetry Collector for current security posture if production use is under consideration.
Alternatives to consider
Grafana Alloy
Direct successor recommended by Grafana; built on Agent Flow foundation with continued development, support, and compatibility with OpenTelemetry ecosystem.
OpenTelemetry Collector
Vendor-neutral, widely adopted CNCF project with active maintenance, extensive integrations, and operator ecosystem; steeper learning curve but no vendor lock-in.
Prometheus Operator + Fluent-bit/Logstash
Best-of-breed for Prometheus metrics + separate log pipeline; mature, battle-tested, and decoupled; requires orchestrating multiple components but offers flexibility and community scale.
Build on agent with DEV.co software developers
Grafana Agent is end-of-life. Evaluate Grafana Alloy or OpenTelemetry Collector for new projects. We can help assess migration paths and observability architecture for your infrastructure.
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agent FAQ
Should I deploy Grafana Agent today?
What is the difference between Grafana Agent and Grafana Alloy?
Can I use Grafana Agent in production?
Is commercial support available for Grafana Agent?
Software development & web development with DEV.co
DEV.co is a software development agency delivering custom software development services to companies building on open source. Our software developers and web developers design, integrate, and ship production systems — spanning web development, APIs, AI, data, and cloud. If agent is part of your open-source observability roadmap, our team can implement, customize, migrate, and maintain it.
Planning a telemetry collection strategy?
Grafana Agent is end-of-life. Evaluate Grafana Alloy or OpenTelemetry Collector for new projects. We can help assess migration paths and observability architecture for your infrastructure.