﻿---
title: Customize the configuration
description: Guide on customizing the EDOT installation parameters for Kubernetes monitoring.
url: https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/5144/solutions/observability/get-started/opentelemetry/use-cases/kubernetes/customization
products:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless
  - Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry Collector
  - Elastic Observability
applies_to:
  - Serverless Observability projects: Generally available
  - Elastic Stack: Generally available
  - Elastic Distribution of OpenTelemetry Collector: Generally available
---

# Customize the configuration
To customize the installation parameters, change the configuration values provided in `values.yaml` file, or override them using `--set parameter=value` during the installation.
To update an installed release, run a `helm upgrade` with the updated `values.yaml` file. Depending on the changes, some Pods may need to be restarted for the updates to take effect. Refer to [upgrades](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/5144/solutions/observability/get-started/opentelemetry/use-cases/kubernetes/upgrade) for a command example.

## Configurable parameters

The following table lists common parameters that might be relevant for your use case:

| `values.yaml` parameter        | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `clusterName`                  | Sets the `k8s.cluster.name` field in all collected data. The cluster name is automatically detected for `EKS/GKE/AKS` clusters, but it might be useful for other environments. When monitoring multiple Kubernetes clusters, ensure that the cluster name is properly set in all your environments.Refer to the [resourcedetection processor](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/blob/main/processor/resourcedetectionprocessor/README.md#cluster-name) for more details about cluster name detection. |
| `collectors.cluster.resources` | Configures `CPU` and `memory` `requests` and `limits` applied to the `Deployment` EDOT Collector responsible for cluster-level metrics.This setting follows the standard [Kubernetes resources syntax](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/configuration/manage-resources-containers/#requests-and-limits) for specifying requests and limits.                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| `collectors.daemon.resources`  | Configures `CPU` and `memory` `requests` and `limits` applied to the `DaemonSet` EDOT Collector responsible for node-level metrics and application traces.This setting follows the standard [Kubernetes resources syntax](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/configuration/manage-resources-containers/#requests-and-limits) for specifying requests and limits.                                                                                                                                                                     |
| `certManager.enabled`          | Defaults to `false`.Refer to [cert-manager integrated installation](#cert-manager-integrated-installation) for more details.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |

For more information on all available parameters and their meaning, refer to:
- The provided `values.yaml`, which includes the default settings for the EDOT installation.
- The official OpenTelemetry `kube-stack` Helm chart [values file](https://github.com/elastic/elastic-agent/blob/main/deploy/helm/edot-collector/kube-stack/values.yaml), with explanations of all parameters.


## Cert-manager integrated installation

In Kubernetes, for the API server to communicate with the webhook component created by the operator, the webhook requires a TLS certificate that the API server is configured to trust. The default provided configuration sets the Helm chart to auto generate the required certificate as a self-signed certificate with an expiration policy of 365 days.
These certificates won't be renewed if the Helm chart's release is not manually updated. For production environments, use a certificate manager like [cert-manager](https://cert-manager.io/docs/installation/).
Integrating the operator with [cert-manager](https://cert-manager.io/) turns on automatic generation and renewal of the TLS certificate. Make sure that cert-manager and its CRDs are already installed in your Kubernetes environment. If that's not the case, refer to the [cert-manager installation guide](https://cert-manager.io/docs/installation/) before continuing.
Follow any of the following options to install the `opentelemetry-kube-stack` Helm chart integrated with `cert-manager`.

### Install using the CLI

Add `--set opentelemetry-operator.admissionWebhooks.certManager.enabled=true --set opentelemetry-operator.admissionWebhooks.autoGenerateCert=null` to the installation command.
For example:
```bash
helm upgrade --install --namespace opentelemetry-operator-system opentelemetry-kube-stack open-telemetry/opentelemetry-kube-stack \
--values https://raw.githubusercontent.com/elastic/elastic-agent/refs/tags/v9.3.0/deploy/helm/edot-collector/kube-stack/values.yaml --version 0.12.4 \
--set opentelemetry-operator.admissionWebhooks.certManager.enabled=true --set opentelemetry-operator.admissionWebhooks.autoGenerateCert=null
```


### Install using values.yaml

Keep an updated copy of the `values.yaml` file by following these steps:
1. **Update** the `values.yaml` file with the following changes:
   - **Enable cert-manager integration for admission webhooks.**
  ```yaml
  opentelemetry-operator:
    admissionWebhooks:
      certManager:
        enabled: true 
  ```
- **Remove the generation of a self-signed certificate.**
  ```yaml
  # Remove the following lines:
      autoGenerateCert:
        enabled: true
        recreate: true
  ```
2. Run the installation (or upgrade) command pointing to the updated file. For example, assuming that the updated file has been saved as `values_cert-manager.yaml`:
   ```bash
   helm upgrade --install --namespace opentelemetry-operator-system opentelemetry-kube-stack open-telemetry/opentelemetry-kube-stack \
   --values ./resources/kubernetes/operator/helm/values_cert-manager.yaml --version {{kube-stack-version}}
   ```