--- id: choose-collector-source title: Choosing a Sumo Logic Collector and Source sidebar_label: Choose a Collector and Source description: Choose the right data source type in Sumo Logic for collecting logs, metrics, or traces using OpenTelemetry Collectors, Installed Collectors, and Hosted Collectors. slug: /help/docs/send-data/choose-collector-source/ canonical: https://www.sumologic.com/help/docs/send-data/choose-collector-source/ --- import useBaseUrl from '@docusaurus/useBaseUrl'; import Iframe from 'react-iframe'; To send your data to Sumo Logic, you have a few options. We have two types of installed agents and offer a collector fully hosted by us. :::info You cannot delete the individual log lines once they are ingested and stored in the service. Hosted services are designed to protect logs from being changed because they are supposed to be immutable. However, data sets for a specific time range within a data partition can be deleted. If you need surgical removal of log lines from view, you can use the keyword searches as [Role Filters](/docs/manage/users-roles/roles/construct-search-filter-for-role/). An administrator can set up a role filter, but other administrators in the your environment with the appropriate rights can reverse it. Alternatively, the Sumo Logic engineering team can implement a role filter that is invisible and unchangeable by any users, including admins. ::: ## Sumo Logic Collectors ### OpenTelemetry Distribution (Installed Agent) **Distribution of OpenTelemetry** is the next-generation agent for data collection. The Sumo Logic Distribution for [OpenTelemetry Collector](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector) is built with the [opentelemetry-collector-builder](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-builder) and provides a single unified agent to send Logs, Metrics, Traces, and Metadata to Sumo Logic. Refer to [Sumo Logic Distribution for OpenTelemetry Collector](/docs/send-data/opentelemetry-collector/) documentation for more information. It's supported on Linux, macOS, Windows, and Kubernetes environments and can use any of the following Sources: * Local File * Host/Process Metrics * Windows Log Event * HTTP Traces * Syslog * HTTP with OTLP formats * And more than 60 ways to collector logs, metrics and traces. For full details on limitations, what's supported, and what's different see our [comparison documentation](/docs/send-data/choose-collector-source/#when-to-choose-installed-collector-vs-opentelemetry-collector). ### Installed Collectors (Installed Agent) **Installed Collectors** are lightweight and efficient. You can choose to install a small number of Collectors to minimize maintenance or to keep your topology simple. Alternatively, you can choose to install many Collectors on many machines to distribute the bandwidth impact across your network rather than having it centralized. [Installed Collectors](/docs/send-data/installed-collectors) are deployed in your environment, on a local machine, a machine in your organization, or even an Amazon Machine Image (AMI). Installed Collectors require a software download and installation. Upgrades to Collector software are released regularly by Sumo Logic. Consider having an Installed Collector on a dedicated machine when: * You need to collect data with a [Source only available on Installed Collectors](/docs/send-data/installed-collectors/sources). * You are running a very high-bandwidth network with high logging levels. * You want a central collection point for many Sources. Consider having more than one Installed Collector if: * You expect the Collector to ingest from at least 500 separate files. * Your hardware has memory or CPU limitations. * You expect combined logging traffic for one Collector to be higher than 15,000 events per second. * Your network clusters or regions are geographically separated. * You prefer to install many Collectors, for example, one per machine to collect local files. To help design your deployment see [how Installed Collectors work](/docs/send-data/installed-collectors) and [Best Practices: Local and Centralized Data Collection](/docs/send-data/best-practices#local-and-centralized-data-collection). For details on system requirements, see [Installed Collector requirements](/docs/get-started/system-requirements/#installed-collector-requirements). ### Compare Installed Collectors and OpenTelemetry Collectors​ The Installed Collector and OpenTelemetry Collector are two popular collectors used for collecting metrics, traces, and logs from various sources. While both collectors have their own unique features and advantages, there are some key differences between them. **Installed Collector**. The Installed Collector is a standalone agent that runs on Linux, MacOS, Kubernetes, and Windows platforms. It supports a wide range of sources, including Local File, Syslog, Host/Process Metrics, Streaming Metrics, Transaction Tracing, and many more. It also provides support for remote management and configuration, Ingest Budgets, Collector Management API, and CPU targets. **OpenTelemetry Collector**. The OpenTelemetry Collector is a single-agent management solution that runs on Linux, MacOS, Kubernetes, and Windows platforms. It supports sources such as Local File, Syslog, Host/Process Metrics, Streaming Metrics, and Transaction Tracing. It provides support for Ingest Budgets, Collector Management API, and remote management. However, it does not provide support for remote upgrades or CPU targets. Instead, upgrades are managed through package managers (yum, apt-get). :::training Micro Lesson Watch this micro lesson to learn why OpenTelemetry collector should be your first choice.