---
title: Telegraf commands and flags
description: The telegraf command starts and runs all the processes necessary for Telegraf to function.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/telegraf/v1/commands/
estimated_tokens: 2300
product: Telegraf Enterprise
version: v1
publisher: InfluxData
canonical: https://docs.influxdata.com/telegraf/v1/commands/
date: '2024-04-03T14:36:07-06:00'
lastmod: '2024-04-03T14:36:07-06:00'
---

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

## Usage

```
telegraf [commands]
telegraf [flags]
```

## Commands

|                 Command                 |                Description                 |
|-----------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
| [config](/telegraf/v1/commands/config/) |Generate and migrate Telegraf configurations|
|[secrets](/telegraf/v1/commands/secrets/)|      Manage secrets in secret stores       |
|[plugins](/telegraf/v1/commands/plugins/)|          Print available plugins           |
|[version](/telegraf/v1/commands/version/)|      Print current version to stdout       |

## Global flags

|              Flag              |                                                              Description                                                               |
|--------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       `--config <file>`        |                                                      Configuration file to load.                                                       |
|`--config-directory <directory>`|                                            Directory containing additional `*.conf` files.                                             |
|         `--test-wait`          |                             Number 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-config`        |   Restart 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-behavior`      |                                       Switch back to pre-v1.27 environment replacement behavior.                                       |
|            `--once`            |                                               Gather metrics once, write them, and exit.                                               |
|           `--debug`            |                                                         Enable debug logging.                                                          |
|           `--quiet`            |                                                           Run in quiet mode.                                                           |
|        `--unprotected`         |                                                   Do not protect secrets in memory.                                                    |
|            `--test`            |                                                  Gather metrics once and print them.                                                   |
|      `--deprecation-list`      |                                            Print all deprecated plugins or plugin options.                                             |
|         `--input-list`         |                                                     Print available input plugins.                                                     |
|        `--output-list`         |                                                    Print 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-filter`        |                                           Filter 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](#generate-a-telegraf-configuration-file)
* [Generate a configuration with only specific plugins](#generate-a-configuration-with-only-specific-plugins)
* [Run a single Telegraf configuration and output metrics to stdout](#run-a-single-telegraf-configuration-and-output-metrics-to-stdout)
* [Run Telegraf with all plugins defined in configuration file](#run-telegraf-with-all-plugins-defined-in-configuration-file)
* [Run Telegraf, but only enable specific plugins](#run-telegraf-but-only-enable-specific-plugins)
* [Run Telegraf with pprof](#run-telegraf-with-pprof)

### Generate a Telegraf configuration file

```sh
telegraf config > telegraf.conf
```

### Generate a configuration with only specific plugins

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

### Run a single Telegraf configuration and output metrics to stdout

```sh
telegraf --config telegraf.conf --test
```

### Run Telegraf with all plugins defined in configuration file

```sh
telegraf --config telegraf.conf
```

### Run Telegraf, but only enable specific plugins

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

### Run Telegraf with pprof

```sh
telegraf \
  --config telegraf.conf \
  --pprof-addr localhost:6060
```
| Command | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Command | Description |
| config | Generate and migrate Telegraf configurations |
| secrets | Manage secrets in secret stores |
| plugins | Print available plugins |
| version | Print current version to stdout |

| Flag | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Flag | Description |
| --config <file> | Configuration file to load. |
| --config-directory <directory> | Directory containing additional  *.conf  files. |
| --test-wait | Number 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-config | Restart 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-behavior | Switch back to pre-v1.27 environment replacement behavior. |
| --once | Gather metrics once, write them, and exit. |
| --debug | Enable debug logging. |
| --quiet | Run in quiet mode. |
| --unprotected | Do not protect secrets in memory. |
| --test | Gather metrics once and print them. |
| --deprecation-list | Print all deprecated plugins or plugin options. |
| --input-list | Print available input plugins. |
| --output-list | Print 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-filter | Filter 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  : . |