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Use Telegraf to write CSV data to InfluxDB

Use the Telegraf file input plugin to read and parse CSV data into line protocol and write it to InfluxDB. Telegraf is a plugin-based agent that collects metrics from different sources and writes them to specified destinations.

Configure Telegraf to read CSV files

  1. Add and enable the inputs.file plugin in your Telegraf configuration file.
  2. Use the files option to specify the list of CSV files to read. CSV files must be accessible by the Telegraf agent.
  3. Set the data_format option to csv.
  4. Define all other csv_ configuration options specific to the CSV data you want to write to InfluxDB. For detailed information about each of the CSV format configuration options, see CSV input data format.
[[inputs.file]]
  files = ["/path/to/example.csv"]
  data_format = "csv"
  csv_header_row_count = 0
  csv_column_names = []
  csv_column_types = []
  csv_skip_rows = 0
  csv_metadata_rows = 0
  csv_metadata_separators = [":", "="]
  csv_metadata_trim_set = ""
  csv_skip_columns = 0
  csv_delimiter = ","
  csv_comment = ""
  csv_trim_space = false
  csv_tag_columns = []
  csv_measurement_column = ""
  csv_timestamp_column = ""
  csv_timestamp_format = ""
  csv_timezone = ""
  csv_skip_values = []
  csv_skip_errors = false
  csv_reset_mode = "none"

Configure Telegraf to write to InfluxDB

To send data to InfluxDB Clustered, enable the influxdb_v2 output plugin in the telegraf.conf.

[[outputs.influxdb_v2]]
  urls = ["https://cluster-host.com"]
  # INFLUX_TOKEN is an environment variable you created for your database WRITE token
  token = "${INFLUX_TOKEN}"
  organization = ""
  bucket = "
DATABASE_NAME
"

Replace the following:

  • DATABASE_NAME: the name of the InfluxDB database to write data to

To learn more about configuration options, see Enable and configure the InfluxDB v2 output plugin.

View full example Telegraf configuration file

Restart the Telegraf agent to apply the configuration change and write the CSV data to InfluxDB.

Other Telegraf configuration options

The preceding examples describe Telegraf configurations necessary for writing to InfluxDB Clustered. The output plugin provides several other options for configuring the Telegraf client:


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InfluxDB OSS 2.9.0: API tokens are hashed by default

Stronger token security in InfluxDB OSS 2.9.0 — tokens are hashed on disk by default. Existing tokens are hashed on first startup and can’t be recovered afterward. Capture any plaintext tokens you still need before you upgrade.

View InfluxDB OSS 2.9.0 release notes

Hashed tokens authenticate exactly like unhashed tokens — clients and integrations keep working.

Also new in 2.9.0:

  • Configurable backup compression
  • Restore support for backups containing hashed tokens
  • Tighter Edge Data Replication queue validation
  • Flux upgrade
  • Compaction reliability improvements

Key enhancements in Explorer 1.8

Explorer 1.8 is now available with streaming data subscriptions (beta), line protocol preview, and query history & saved queries.

View Explorer 1.8 release notes

Explorer 1.8 includes new features and improvements that make it easier to ingest, explore, and manage data.

Highlights:

  • Streaming data subscriptions (beta): Stream data into Explorer from MQTT, Kafka, and AMQP sources.
  • Line protocol preview: Preview line protocol, schema, and parse errors before data is written.
  • Custom sample data: Generate custom sample datasets with line protocol and schema preview.
  • Query history and saved queries: Browse query history and save/re-run named queries.
  • Retention period management: Set, update, or clear retention periods on databases and tables.

For more details, see Explorer 1.8 release notes

InfluxDB 3.9: Performance upgrade preview

InfluxDB 3 Enterprise 3.9 includes a beta of major performance upgrades with faster single-series queries, wide-and-sparse table support, and more.

InfluxDB 3 Enterprise 3.9 includes a beta of major performance and feature updates.

Key improvements:

  • Faster single-series queries
  • Consistent resource usage
  • Wide-and-sparse table support
  • Automatic distinct value caches for reduced latency with metadata queries

Preview features are subject to breaking changes.

For more information, see:

Telegraf Enterprise now in public beta

Get early access to the Telegraf Controller and provide feedback to help shape the future of Telegraf Enterprise.

See the Blog Post

The upcoming Telegraf Enterprise offering is for organizations running Telegraf at scale and is comprised of two key components:

  • Telegraf Controller: A control plane (UI + API) that centralizes Telegraf configuration management and agent health visibility.
  • Telegraf Enterprise Support: Official support for Telegraf Controller and Telegraf plugins.

Join the Telegraf Enterprise beta to get early access to the Telegraf Controller and provide feedback to help shape the future of Telegraf Enterprise.

For more information:

Telegraf Controller v0.0.7-beta now available

Telegraf Controller v0.0.7-beta is now available with new features, improvements, bug fixes, and an important breaking change.

View the release notes
Download Telegraf Controller v0.0.7-beta

InfluxDB Docker latest tag changing to InfluxDB 3 Core

On May 27, 2026, the latest tag for InfluxDB Docker images will point to InfluxDB 3 Core. To avoid unexpected upgrades, use specific version tags in your Docker deployments.

If using Docker to install and run InfluxDB, the latest tag will point to InfluxDB 3 Core. To avoid unexpected upgrades, use specific version tags in your Docker deployments. For example, if using Docker to run InfluxDB v2, replace the latest version tag with a specific version tag in your Docker pull command–for example:

docker pull influxdb:2