> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shuttle.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started

> Step-by-step guide to setting up telemetry in your Shuttle project

This guide will walk you through setting up telemetry for your Shuttle project. We'll cover the basic setup that applies to all telemetry providers, and then point you to provider-specific guides.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

1. A Shuttle project deployed
2. Access to the Shuttle Console
3. An account with your chosen telemetry provider (e.g. Better Stack)

## Step 1: Enable the OpenTelemetry Exporter

First, you need to enable telemetry export in your project. Add the `setup-otel-exporter` feature to your `shuttle-runtime` dependency:

```bash theme={null}
cargo add shuttle-runtime -F setup-otel-exporter
```

The `shuttle-runtime` entry in your project's `Cargo.toml` should now look something like:

```toml theme={null}
shuttle-runtime = { version = "0.57.0", features = ["setup-otel-exporter"] }
```

> **Note:** Your specific entry may not be *identical*, that's OK. The important part is that `"setup-otel-exporter"` appears in the `features` array.

## Step 2: Choose Your Telemetry Provider

Shuttle supports several telemetry providers. Each has its own setup process:

* [Better Stack](./betterstack) - Recommended for most users
* More providers coming soon!

<Note>
  We plan to expand the list of supported third party services.
  Let us know you thoughts and suggestions on [GitHub](https://github.com/shuttle-hq/shuttle/discussions/1980).
</Note>

## Step 3: Configure Your Provider

Follow the specific guide for your chosen provider to:

1. Create a telemetry source in your provider's dashboard
2. Get your provider's connection details (usually an API key and endpoint)
3. Configure these details in the Shuttle Console

## Step 4: Redeploy Your Project

<Warning>
  **Important**: After configuring telemetry, you ***must*** redeploy your project for the changes to take effect.
  If you made code changes in Step 1 (enabling runtime's OpenTelemetry exporter), you need to make a new deployment using with `shuttle deploy`.
</Warning>

## Next Steps

Once your telemetry is set up, you can:

* [Add custom metrics](./custom-metrics) to your application
* Create dashboards in your provider's interface
* Monitor your application's performance and health

<Note>
  Need help? Check out our [telemetry overview](./overview) for more details about what metrics are available,
  or join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/shuttle) for support.
</Note>