The OpenTelemetry Collector is an open source framework that collects and standardizes telemetry data from cloud-native applications and services. It provides tools, APIs, and SDKs to collect and process data before routing it to desired destinations. The Datadog Exporter for OpenTelemetry Collector enables users to send infrastructure metrics and traces directly to Datadog, expanding their observability options without vendor lock-in. By adding just a few lines of code to the config file, users can easily install the exporter and start sending data to Datadog. Once configured, the exporter sends metrics in the OpenTelemetry Protocol (OTLP) format, which can be visualized using Datadog's suite of infrastructure monitoring features. Additionally, the exporter enables trace collection with Datadog APM, allowing users to gain critical insight into application performance and identify issues. The integration expands observability options for users already using OpenTelemetry, providing a hassle-free method to collect and visualize data from cloud-native applications and services.