---
title: Use Telegraf to write CSV data
description: Use the Telegraf file input plugin to read and parse CSV data into line protocol and write it to InfluxDB 3 Enterprise.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/enterprise/write-data/use-telegraf/csv/
estimated_tokens: 3219
product: InfluxDB 3 Enterprise
version: enterprise
---

# Use Telegraf to write CSV data

Use the Telegraf `file` input plugin to read and parse CSV data into [line protocol](/influxdb3/enterprise/reference/syntax/line-protocol/) and write it to InfluxDB 3 Enterprise. [Telegraf](/telegraf/v1/) is a plugin-based agent that collects metrics from different sources and writes them to specified destinations.

-   [Configure Telegraf to read CSV files](#configure-telegraf-to-read-csv-files)
-   [Configure Telegraf to write to InfluxDB](#configure-telegraf-to-write-to-influxdb)
    -   [Other Telegraf configuration options](#other-telegraf-configuration-options)

## Configure Telegraf to read CSV files

1. Add and enable the [`inputs.file` plugin](/telegraf/v1/plugins/#input-file) 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 3 Enterprise. *For detailed information about each of the CSV format configuration options, see [CSV input data format](/telegraf/v1/data_formats/input/csv/).*

```toml
[[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 3 Enterprise, enable and configure the [`influxdb_v2` output plugin](/influxdb3/enterprise/write-data/use-telegraf/configure/#enable-and-configure-the-influxdb-v2-output-plugin) in your `telegraf.conf`.

```toml
[[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"

[[outputs.influxdb_v2]]
  urls = ["http://localhost:8181"]
  token = "AUTH_TOKEN"
  organization = ""
  bucket = "DATABASE_NAME"
  content_encoding = "gzip"
```

Replace the following:

-   `DATABASE_NAME`: the name of the database to write data to
    
-   `AUTH_TOKEN`: your InfluxDB 3 Enterprise [token](/influxdb3/enterprise/admin/tokens/) . *Store this in a secret store or environment variable to avoid exposing the raw token string.*
    
    ##### Store your authorization token as an environment variable
    
    Avoid storing a plain text token in your Telegraf configuration file. Store the token as an environment variable and then reference the environment variable in your configuration file using string interpolation. For example:
    
    ```toml
    [[outputs.influxdb_v2]]
      urls = ["http://localhost:8181"]
      token = "${INFLUX_TOKEN}"
      # ...
    ```
    

**Restart the Telegraf agent** to apply the configuration change and write the CSV data to InfluxDB 3 Enterprise.

#### Other Telegraf configuration options

The preceding examples describe Telegraf configurations necessary for writing to InfluxDB 3 Enterprise. The `influxdb_v2` output plugin provides several other configuration options. For more information, see the [`influxdb_v2` plugin options](/telegraf/v1/output-plugins/influxdb_v2/) on GitHub.

#### Related

-   [CSV input data format](/telegraf/v1/data_formats/input/csv/)
-   [Use Telegraf to write data](/influxdb3/enterprise/write-data/use-telegraf/)