--- title: Quickstart metaTitle: Getting Started with OpenObserve - Cloud and Self-Hosted Setup Guide description: Complete getting started guide for OpenObserve observability platform setup - cloud deployment and self-hosted installation for logs, metrics, and traces monitoring. --- # Getting Started with OpenObserve - Observability Platform Setup Get started with OpenObserve observability platform for logs, metrics, and traces monitoring. This guide helps you set up OpenObserve for complete observability. You can choose between [OpenObserve Cloud](https://cloud.openobserve.ai) (recommended) or a self-hosted installation for your observability needs. ## Choose Your Installation Method :::::::tabs ::::::tab[OpenObserve Cloud (Recommended)] [OpenObserve Cloud](https://cloud.openobserve.ai) is the fastest way to get started and is recommended for most users because: - **Zero maintenance:** No need to set up, operate, or upgrade infrastructure. We handle it all for you. - **Effortless scaling:** Easily handle growing data volumes without worrying about capacity planning or scaling issues. - **Always up-to-date:** Get the latest features, improvements, and security patches automatically. ### OpenObserve Cloud Setup :::accordion[Step 1: Create Your Account] 1. Navigate to [https://cloud.openobserve.ai](https://cloud.openobserve.ai) 2. Sign up using social login or create a new account ![Sign in page](./images/quickstart/signin.png) ::: :::accordion[Step 2: Get Your Ingestion Credentials] 1. After logging in, navigate to the **Data Sources** section in the sidebar ![Ingestion](./images/quickstart/ingestion_credentials.png) 2. Copy the provided cURL command - it contains your unique credentials 3. Your endpoint will look like: `https://api.openobserve.ai/api/[YOUR_ORG]/default/_json` You are ready to ingest data. Now head over to [Load sample data](#load-sample-data) section. ::: :::::: ::::::tab[Self-Hosted Installation] Choose self-hosted if you need: - Full control over your data and infrastructure - Custom configurations or integrations - On-premises deployment requirements ### Self-Hosted Installation > **Important**: These instructions are for single-node installations. For production high-availability setups, see our [HA deployment guide](administration/deployment/ha-deployment.md). You'll need to set root user credentials (ZO_ROOT_USER_EMAIL and ZO_ROOT_USER_PASSWORD) on first startup only. They are not required for subsequent runs. :::::tabs ::::tab[Windows] **Download and Install** 1. Download Binaries from [downloads page](https://openobserve.ai/downloads) 2. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator 3. Run the following commands: ```cmd #command prompt set ZO_ROOT_USER_EMAIL=root@example.com set ZO_ROOT_USER_PASSWORD=Complexpass#123 openobserve.exe ``` ```powershell #powershell $env:ZO_ROOT_USER_EMAIL="root@example.com" $env:ZO_ROOT_USER_PASSWORD="Complexpass#123" .\openobserve.exe ``` :::note[Note] You can set email and password based on your preference ::: :::: ::::tab[MacOS/Linux Binaries] 1. Download the appropriate binary from our [downloads page](https://openobserve.ai/downloads) 2. Make it executable: `chmod +x openobserve` 3. Run with environment variables as shown: ```bash # Run OpenObserve ZO_ROOT_USER_EMAIL="root@example.com" ZO_ROOT_USER_PASSWORD="Complexpass#123" ./openobserve ``` :::note[Note] If you see an error like `version GLIBC_2.27 not found`, download the `musl` binary instead: - Look for files ending in `-linux-musl.tar.gz` on the releases page - musl binaries have slightly lower performance but no external dependencies ::: :::: ::::tab[Docker] **Prerequisites**: Ensure Docker is installed and running on your system. Docker images are available at: - Enterprise: [https://gallery.ecr.aws/zinclabs/openobserve-enterprise](https://gallery.ecr.aws/zinclabs/openobserve-enterprise) - OSS : [https://gallery.ecr.aws/zinclabs/openobserve](https://gallery.ecr.aws/zinclabs/openobserve) **Linux/macOS:** ```bash docker run -v $PWD/data:/data -e ZO_DATA_DIR="/data" -p 5080:5080 -e ZO_ROOT_USER_EMAIL="root@example.com" -e ZO_ROOT_USER_PASSWORD="Complexpass#123" o2cr.ai/openobserve/openobserve-enterprise:latest ``` **Windows:** ```cmd # Windows Command Prompt docker run -d --name openobserve -v %cd%/openobserve-data:/data -e ZO_DATA_DIR="/data" -e ZO_ROOT_USER_EMAIL="root@example.com" -e ZO_ROOT_USER_PASSWORD="Complexpass#123" -p 5080:5080 o2cr.ai/openobserve/openobserve-enterprise:latest ``` **Docker Image Options:** - `latest`: Compatible with most environments - `latest-simd`: Optimized for systems with AVX512 (Intel) or NEON (ARM) for better performance :::note[Troubleshooting] If you encounter AWS ECR login issues: ```bash aws ecr-public get-login-password --region us-east-1 | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin public.ecr.aws ``` ::: :::: ::::tab[Kubernetes - Manifest] **Prerequisites**: Ensure `kubectl` is configured and you have cluster access. 1. **Create namespace:** ```bash kubectl create namespace openobserve ``` 2. **Deploy OpenObserve:** ```bash kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zinclabs/openobserve/main/deploy/k8s/statefulset.yaml ``` 3. **Access the service:** ```bash kubectl -n openobserve port-forward svc/openobserve 5080:5080 ``` :::: ::::: :::::: ::::::: ## Verify Installation After installation, verify OpenObserve is running: 1. Open your browser and navigate to: - **Self-hosted**: [http://localhost:5080](http://localhost:5080) - **Cloud**: [https://cloud.openobserve.ai](https://cloud.openobserve.ai) 2. Log in with your credentials: - **Self-hosted**: Use the email/password you set in environment variables - **Cloud**: Use your account credentials 3. You should see the OpenObserve dashboard ## Load Sample Data Let's load some real-world log data to explore OpenObserve's features. :::accordion[Step 1: Download Sample Data] ```bash # Download and extract sample Kubernetes logs curl -L https://zinc-public-data.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/zinc-enl/sample-k8s-logs/k8slog_json.json.zip -o k8slog_json.json.zip unzip k8slog_json.json.zip ``` **What's in the sample data**: This file contains real Kubernetes application logs with various log levels (info, warning, error) and structured JSON fields. ::: :::accordion[Step 2: Load Data into OpenObserve] **For OpenObserve Cloud**: ```bash # Use the cURL command from your Ingestion page curl -u your-email@domain.com:your-password \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ https://api.openobserve.ai/api/YOUR_ORG/default/_json \ -d "@k8slog_json.json" ``` **For Self-Hosted Installation**: ```bash curl -u "root@example.com:Complexpass#123" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ http://localhost:5080/api/default/default/_json \ -d "@k8slog_json.json" ``` ::: :::accordion[Step 3: Verify Data Upload] You should see output similar to: ```json {"code":200,"status":"ok","records":1000} ``` If you see errors, check: - Your credentials are correct - The JSON file was downloaded completely - OpenObserve is running and accessible ::: ## Search Your Data Now let's explore the data you just loaded. :::accordion[Step 1: Access the Logs Interface] 1. Navigate to your OpenObserve instance 2. Click on **Logs** in the left sidebar 3. Select **default** from the stream dropdown (top-left) ![Logs page](./images/quickstart/logs_page.png) ::: :::accordion[Step 2: Try These Sample Searches] **Basic searches** (click the **Run Query** button after each): 1. **View all logs**: Leave search box empty and click search 2. **Find errors**: `level='error'` or `match_all('error')` ::: *Congratulations! You now have OpenObserve running with sample data.* ## Next Steps - Send Your Own Data - **Application logs**: Use our [logging libraries](./ingestion/logs/otlp.md) for your applications - **Metrics**: Set up [Prometheus integration](./ingestion/metrics/prometheus.md) - **Traces**: Configure [OpenTelemetry](./ingestion/traces/opentelemetry.md) for distributed tracing ## Troubleshooting Common Issues :::accordion[Can't access OpenObserve web interface] - Check if the process is running - Verify port 5080 is not blocked by firewall - For Docker: ensure port mapping is correct (`-p 5080:5080`) ::: :::accordion[Authentication errors] - Verify your email/password combination - For self-hosted: ensure environment variables were set correctly - For cloud: check your account credentials ::: :::accordion[Data not appearing] - Verify the curl command returned success (200 status) - Check the time range in the web interface - Ensure you selected the correct stream/index ::: :::accordion[Performance issues] - Consider using the SIMD Docker image for better performance - Check available memory and CPU resources - For large datasets, consider the high-availability deployment ::: **Need some help?** - Join our [Community Slack](https://short.openobserve.ai/community) - Or [Contact support](https://openobserve.ai/contactus/)