# Agent deployment pattern > Send signals to Collectors and then export to backends --- LLMS index: [llms.txt](/llms.txt) --- In the agent deployment pattern, telemetry signals can come from - Applications [instrumented][instrumentation] with an OpenTelemetry SDK using the [OpenTelemetry Protocol (OTLP)][otlp]. - Collectors using the OTLP exporter. The signals are sent to a [Collector][collector] instance that runs alongside the application or on the same host, such as a sidecar or DaemonSet. Each client-side SDK or downstream Collector is configured with the address of a Collector instance: ![Decentralized collector deployment concept](../../img/otel-agent-sdk.svg) 1. In the application, the SDK is configured to send OTLP data to a Collector. 1. The Collector is configured to send telemetry data to one or more backends. ## Example In this example of the agent deployment pattern, begin by manually instrumenting a [Java application to export metrics][instrument-java-metrics] using the OpenTelemetry Java SDK, including the default `OTEL_METRICS_EXPORTER` value, `otlp`. Next, configure the [OTLP exporter][otlp-exporter] with the address of your Collector. For example: ```shell export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=http://collector.example.com:4318 ``` Next, configure the Collector running at `collector.example.com:4318` as follows: 
receivers:
  otlp: # the OTLP receiver the app is sending traces to
    protocols:
      http:
        endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4318

exporters:
  otlp/jaeger: # Jaeger supports OTLP directly
    endpoint: https://jaeger.example.com:4317
    sending_queue:
      batch:

service:
  pipelines:
    traces/dev:
      receivers: [otlp]
      exporters: [otlp/jaeger]

receivers:
  otlp: # the OTLP receiver the app is sending metrics to
    protocols:
      http:
        endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4318

exporters:
  prometheusremotewrite: # the PRW exporter, to ingest metrics to backend
    endpoint: https://prw.example.com/v1/api/remote_write
    sending_queue:
      batch:

service:
  pipelines:
    metrics/prod:
      receivers: [otlp]
      exporters: [prometheusremotewrite]

receivers:
  otlp: # the OTLP receiver the app is sending logs to
    protocols:
      http:
        endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4318

exporters:
  file: # the File Exporter, to ingest logs to local file
    path: ./app42_example.log
    rotation:

service:
  pipelines:
    logs/dev:
      receivers: [otlp]
      exporters: [file]
To explore this pattern end to end, see the [Java][java-otlp-example] or [Python][py-otlp-example] examples. ## Trade-offs Here are the key pros and cons of using an agent collector: Pros: - Straightforward to get started - Clear one-to-one mapping between application and Collector Cons: - Limited scalability for teams and infrastructure resources - Inflexible for complex or evolving deployments [instrumentation]: /docs/languages/ [otlp]: /docs/specs/otel/protocol/ [collector]: /docs/collector/ [instrument-java-metrics]: /docs/languages/java/api/#meterprovider [otlp-exporter]: /docs/specs/otel/protocol/exporter/ [java-otlp-example]: https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java-docs/tree/main/otlp [py-otlp-example]: https://opentelemetry-python.readthedocs.io/en/stable/examples/metrics/instruments/README.html