Configure agents with Azure Monitor Agent settings

This article describes how to configure the Azure Monitor Agent on Azure Virtual Machines (VMs), Virtual Machine Scale Sets, and Azure Arc-enabled servers. Many applications and services log telemetry by using the Azure Monitor Agent. You can configure Azure Monitor Agents by using the central control plane and creating the Agent Settings Data Collection Rule (DCR).

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are listed in Collect data from virtual machine client with Azure Monitor.

Considerations

When you work with the Agent Settings DCR:

Currently, an Azure Resource Manager template is the only way to create Agent Settings.
Agent Settings is a standalone DCR with no other collection sources.
The most recent Agent Settings DCR applied to the VM overrides all other Agent Settings DCRs.

Supported parameters

The Agent Settings DCR supports the following parameters:

These settings configure the Azure Monitor Agent and are organized by telemetry type. In the DCR JSON, add each setting to either the properties.agentSettings.logs or properties.agentSettings.metrics collection, as indicated in the following table.

Telemetry type	Agent Settings collection	Setting name	Supported values and validation	Description
General	`logs`	`MaxDiskQuotaInMB`	Integer from 4,000 through 1,000,000. Default is 10,000 MB.	Maximum disk space used by the Azure Monitor Agent local cache. The cache grows if cloud connectivity is lost, and the agent sends data after connectivity is restored. The agent loses data that exceeds the cache limit.
Logs	`logs`	`UseTimeReceivedForForwardedEvents`	`0` or `1`. `0` uses `TimeGenerated`; `1` uses `TimeReceived`.	Controls the timestamp behavior for Microsoft Sentinel Windows Event Forwarding (WEF) data.
General	`logs`	`Tags`	Any non-empty string. The service doesn't validate the format or delimiter.	User-defined tags associated with the agent configuration.
General	`logs`	`DiskQuotaUsageInPercent`	Integer from 50 through 100.	Percentage of the configured disk quota at which the agent's quota behavior is controlled.
Logs and traces	`logs`	`OtlpGrpcLogsTracesPort`	Integer TCP port from 1,024 through 65,535. Must be unique across all OTLP port settings in the DCR.	Overrides the OTLP gRPC listener port for logs and traces.
Logs and traces	`logs`	`OtlpHttpProtobufLogsTracesPort`	Integer TCP port from 1,024 through 65,535. Must be unique across all OTLP port settings in the DCR.	Overrides the OTLP HTTP/Protobuf listener port for logs and traces.
Metrics	`metrics`	`OtlpGrpcMetricsPort`	Integer TCP port from 1,024 through 65,535. Must be unique across all OTLP port settings in the DCR.	Overrides the OTLP gRPC listener port for metrics.
Metrics	`metrics`	`OtlpHttpProtobufMetricsPort`	Integer TCP port from 1,024 through 65,535. Must be unique across all OTLP port settings in the DCR.	Overrides the OTLP HTTP/Protobuf listener port for metrics.
Metrics	`metrics`	`OtlpGrpcPrometheusMetricsPort`	Integer TCP port from 1,024 through 65,535. Must be unique across all OTLP port settings in the DCR.	Overrides the OTLP gRPC listener port for Prometheus metrics.

Note

OTLP port settings require DCR API version 2025-05-11 or later. OTLP metrics port settings require Azure Monitor Agent Linux 1.44, Windows 1.45, or later.

Create an Agent Settings DCR

Currently not supported.

Prepare the environment by installing the Azure Monitor Agent on your VM.
Create the Agent Settings DCR.

The following example shows settings in both the logs and metrics categories, including overrides for all OTLP listener ports.

Step 1 - Use the search bar to find the Deploy a custom template option.

Step 2 - Select Build your own template in the editor.

Step 3 - Delete the existing JSON in the template editor and copy the JSON code into the editor. Make sure you modify the parameters in the JSON in the editor to meet your needs.

Here's example JSON code to create the Agent Settings DCR:

{
    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
    "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
    "parameters": {
        "region": {
            "defaultValue": "chinanorth2",
            "type": "string"
        },
        "dcrName": {
            "defaultValue": "myDcrName",
            "type": "string"
        },
        "maxDiskQuota": {
            "defaultValue": "5000",
            "type": "string"
        },
        "useTimeReceivedForForwardedEvents": {
            "defaultValue": "0",
            "type": "string"
        },
        "tags": {
            "defaultValue": "environment=production",
            "type": "string"
        },
        "diskQuotaUsageInPercent": {
            "defaultValue": "80",
            "type": "string"
        },
        "otlpGrpcLogsTracesPort": {
            "defaultValue": "14319",
            "type": "string"
        },
        "otlpHttpProtobufLogsTracesPort": {
            "defaultValue": "14320",
            "type": "string"
        },
        "otlpGrpcMetricsPort": {
            "defaultValue": "15317",
            "type": "string"
        },
        "otlpHttpProtobufMetricsPort": {
            "defaultValue": "15318",
            "type": "string"
        },
        "otlpGrpcPrometheusMetricsPort": {
            "defaultValue": "15316",
            "type": "string"
        }
    },
    "resources": [

        {
            "type": "Microsoft.Insights/dataCollectionRules",
            "kind": "AgentSettings",
            "location": "[parameters('region')]",
            "name": "[parameters('dcrName')]",
            "apiVersion": "2025-05-11",
            "properties": {
                "description": "Simple agent settings",
                "agentSettings": {
                    "logs": [
                        {
                            "name": "MaxDiskQuotaInMB",
                            "value": "[parameters('maxDiskQuota')]"
                        },
                        {
                            "name": "UseTimeReceivedForForwardedEvents",
                            "value": "[parameters('useTimeReceivedForForwardedEvents')]"
                        },
                        {
                            "name": "Tags",
                            "value": "[parameters('tags')]"
                        },
                        {
                            "name": "DiskQuotaUsageInPercent",
                            "value": "[parameters('diskQuotaUsageInPercent')]"
                        },
                        {
                            "name": "OtlpGrpcLogsTracesPort",
                            "value": "[parameters('otlpGrpcLogsTracesPort')]"
                        },
                        {
                            "name": "OtlpHttpProtobufLogsTracesPort",
                            "value": "[parameters('otlpHttpProtobufLogsTracesPort')]"
                        }
                    ],
                    "metrics": [
                        {
                            "name": "OtlpGrpcMetricsPort",
                            "value": "[parameters('otlpGrpcMetricsPort')]"
                        },
                        {
                            "name": "OtlpHttpProtobufMetricsPort",
                            "value": "[parameters('otlpHttpProtobufMetricsPort')]"
                        },
                        {
                            "name": "OtlpGrpcPrometheusMetricsPort",
                            "value": "[parameters('otlpGrpcPrometheusMetricsPort')]"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            }
        }
    ]
}

Validate and deploy the template. Make sure that you don't get any errors.

Step 4 - Associate the DCR with a virtual machine go to the Deploy a custom template in the editor option again. Delete the existing JSON in the template editor and copy the JSON code into the editor. To meet your VM name and DCR resource, make sure you modify the items in the parameters section. You can copy the resource ID by going to the DCR and selecting the JSON View in the upper right corner. Use the Copy to clipboard option and then paste it into the template. For the vmName, use the string name of the VM.

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "parameters": {
    "vmName": {
      "type": "string",
      "defaultValue":"WindowsM1",
      "metadata": {
        "description": "The name of the virtual machine."
      }
    },
    "dataCollectionResourceId": {
      "type": "string",
      "defaultValue": "/subscriptions/aaaa0a0a-bb1b-cc2c-dd3d-eeeeee4e4e4e/resourceGroups/ContosoAdmin/providers/Microsoft.Insights/dataCollectionRules/myDcrName",
      "metadata": {
        "description": "The resource ID of the data collection rule."
      }
    }
  },
  "resources": [
    {
      "type": "Microsoft.Insights/dataCollectionRuleAssociations",
      "apiVersion": "2021-09-01-preview",
      "scope": "[format('Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/{0}', parameters('vmResourceId'))]",
      "name": "agentSettings",
      "properties": {
        "description": "Association of data collection rule. Deleting this association will break the data collection for this virtual machine."
        "dataCollectionRuleId": "[parameters('dataCollectionResourceId')]"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Validate and deploy the template. Make sure you don't get any errors.

Step 5 - Apply the changes and restart AMA on the VM.

Create a data collection rule to collect data from the agent and send it to Azure Monitor.

Last updated on 2026-10-10

Configure agents with Azure Monitor Agent settings

Prerequisites

Considerations

Supported parameters

Create an Agent Settings DCR

Related content

Additional resources