Documentation

Telegraf commands and flags

The telegraf command starts and runs all the processes necessary for Telegraf to function.

Usage

telegraf [commands]
telegraf [flags]

Commands

CommandDescription
configGenerate and migrate Telegraf configurations
secretsManage secrets in secret stores
pluginsPrint available plugins
versionPrint current version to stdout

Global flags

FlagDescription
--config <file>Configuration file to load.
--config-directory <directory>Directory containing additional *.conf files.
--test-waitNumber of seconds to wait for service inputs to complete in test or once mode.
--usage <plugin>Print plugin usage (example: telegraf --usage mysql).
--pprof-addr <address>pprof address to listen on. Disabled by default.
--watch-configRestart Telegraf on local configuration changes. Use either fs notifications (notify) or polling (poll). Disabled by default.
--pidfile <file>File to write PID to.
--password <password>Password to unlock secret stores.
--old-env-behaviorSwitch back to pre-v1.27 environment replacement behavior.
--onceGather metrics once, write them, and exit.
--debugEnable debug logging.
--quietRun in quiet mode.
--unprotectedDo not protect secrets in memory.
--testGather metrics once and print them.
--deprecation-listPrint all deprecated plugins or plugin options.
--input-listPrint available input plugins.
--output-listPrint available output plugins.
--version(Deprecated) Print Telegraf version.
--sample-config(Deprecated) Print full sample configuration.
--plugin-directory <directory>(Deprecated) Directory containing *.so files to search recursively for plugins. Found plugins are loaded, tagged, and identified.
--section-filter <filter>Filter configuration sections to output (agent, global_tags, outputs, processors, aggregators and inputs). Separator is :.
--input-filter <filter>Filter input plugins to enable. Separator is :.
--output-filterFilter output plugins to enable. Separator is :.
--aggregator-filter <filter>Filter aggregators to enable. Separator is :.
--processor-filter <filter>Filter processor plugins to enable. Separator is :.
--secretstore-filter <filter>Filter secretstore plugins to enable. Separator is :.

Examples

Generate a Telegraf configuration file

telegraf config > telegraf.conf

Generate a configuration with only specific plugins

telegraf config \
  --input-filter cpu \
  --output-filter influxdb

Run a single Telegraf configuration and output metrics to stdout

telegraf --config telegraf.conf --test

Run Telegraf with all plugins defined in configuration file

telegraf --config telegraf.conf

Run Telegraf, but only enable specific plugins

telegraf \
  --config telegraf.conf \
  --input-filter cpu:mem \
  --output-filter influxdb

Run Telegraf with pprof

telegraf \
  --config telegraf.conf \
  --pprof-addr localhost:6060

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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