olddocs/gen_edot_col_components/templates/ocb.jinja2

# Build a Custom EDOT-like Collector

You can build and configure a [custom collector](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/collector/custom-collector/) or extend the [OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib ](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib) distribution to collect logs and metrics and send them to Elastic Observability.

For a more seamless experience, use the Elastic Distribution of the OpenTelemetry Collector.
Refer to the [configuration](./config/index) docs for more on configuring the EDOT Collector.

## Build a custom collector

To build a custom collector to collect your telemetry data and send it to Elastic Observability, you need to:

1. Install the OpenTelemetry Collector builder (ocb).
1. Create a builder configuration file.
1. Build the collector.

Refer to the following sections to complete these steps.

### Step 1. Install the OpenTelemetry Collector builder
Install the ocb using the command that aligns with your system from the [OpenTelemetry building a custom collector documentation](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/collector/custom-collector/#step-1---install-the-builder).

{: .warning}
Make sure to install **version {{ otel_col_version }}** of the OpenTelemetry Collector Builder!

### Step 2. Create a builder configuration file
Create a builder configuration file,`builder-config.yml`, to define the custom collector. This file specifies the components (extensions, exporters, processors, receivers, and connectors) included in your custom collector.

The following example `builder-config.yml` file contains the components needed to send your telemetry data to Elastic Observability. For more information on these components, refer to the [components](./components) documentation. Keep or remove components from the example configuration file to fit your needs.

``` yaml
dist:
  name: otelcol-dev
  description: Basic OTel Collector distribution for Developers
  output_path: ./otelcol-dev
  otelcol_version: {{ otel_col_version }}

{% if grouped_components['Extensions'] -%}
extensions:
{%- for comp in grouped_components['Extensions'] %}
  - gomod: {{ comp['dep'] }}
{%- endfor %}
{%- endif %}

{% if grouped_components['Receivers'] -%}
receivers:
{%- for comp in grouped_components['Receivers'] %}
  - gomod: {{ comp['dep'] }}
{%- endfor %}
{%- endif %}

{% if grouped_components['Exporters'] -%}
exporters:
{%- for comp in grouped_components['Exporters'] %}
  - gomod: {{ comp['dep'] }}
{%- endfor %}
{%- endif %}

{% if grouped_components['Processors'] -%}
processors:
{%- for comp in grouped_components['Processors'] %}
  - gomod: {{ comp['dep'] }}
{%- endfor %}
{%- endif %}

{% if grouped_components['Connectors'] -%}
connectors:
{%- for comp in grouped_components['Connectors'] %}
  - gomod: {{ comp['dep'] }}
{%- endfor %}
{%- endif %}

{% if grouped_components['Providers'] -%}
providers:
{%- for comp in grouped_components['Providers'] %}
  - gomod: {{ comp['dep'] }}
{%- endfor %}
{%- endif %}
```

### Step 3. Build the Collector
Build your custom collector using the ocb tool and the configuration file by running the following command:

`builder --config builder-config.yml`

This command generates a new collector in the specified output path, `otelcol-dev`. The generated collector includes the components you specified in the configuration file.

For general information on building a custom collector, refer to the [OpenTelemetry documentation](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/collector/custom-collector/#step-1---install-the-builder).