# OTLP connection check: prove traces and logs reach the right project

> What the Connection tab shows, running the check with curl or from your own SDK, what a pass proves, and what to do when a step stays waiting.

"Data shows up in Traces" tells you something arrives; it does not tell you *which* key, project and environment it came through. The OTLP connection check proves one path end to end and leaves a receipt on your node.

## What the Connection tab shows

Open the project and go to **Connection**. Pick the environment at the top; everything below is judged for that environment only.

**Evidence per signal** has one row each for errors, check-ins, traces and logs. A signal is judged only by its own evidence — verified traces never mark errors as connected.

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verified | A connection check for this signal and environment reached your node |
| Receiving | Records arrive from this environment, but no check has been run |
| Quiet for 24 h+ | Records came before, none in the last day |
| Never received | Nothing from this environment yet |
| Can't tell now | Your node could not be read at this moment |

**Services seen** lists each service that sent traces or logs, with its language and SDK. Those come from the service's own resource attributes (`service.name`, `telemetry.sdk.*`): self-reported, not a certification.

## Run the check

1. On **Connection**, choose the environment, then **Check the OTLP connection**.
2. Belvador shows a `curl` command with a fresh marker (`bv1_` followed by 32 hex characters). It sends one span and one log, both carrying the attribute `belvador.verification_id` and the chosen environment.
3. Replace the key placeholder with an ingest key that has **Traces** and **Logs** and allows that environment, and run the command from a machine that can reach the internet — ideally the one your service runs on, so the check also proves its network path.
4. Keep the page open. The steps turn done one by one: **Sent from your machine → Belvador's edge accepted it → Your node stored the receipt → Read back from your node**, separately for traces and logs.

The check waits 10 minutes. If nothing arrives, the panel says so; start again for a new marker.

## Run it from your own SDK

Instead of `curl`, put the marker on one span or one log record from your service. The attribute must be on the span or log record itself, not on the resource:

```js
import { trace } from "@opentelemetry/api";
trace.getActiveSpan()?.setAttribute("belvador.verification_id", "bv1_…");
```

```python
from opentelemetry import trace
trace.get_current_span().set_attribute("belvador.verification_id", "bv1_…")
```

This proves more than `curl`: your service's own exporter, configuration and network reached the node. Remove the line afterwards.

## What a passing check proves

That this key, for this project and environment, reached your node at that moment, and that the node could be read back. It does not certify a runtime, prove that every service is instrumented, or keep proving anything later — a revoked key or a changed deployment is not noticed until records stop. The status stays **Verified** after a check; **Quiet for 24 h+** is what tells you records stopped.

## When a step stays waiting

| Stuck at | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Sent from your machine | The command failed: read its output — `401` wrong key, `403` key without **Traces**/**Logs** or another project's key, a network error means the machine cannot reach `ingest.belvador.dev` |
| Belvador's edge accepted it | Request refused before storage — see [the response codes](https://belvador.dev/en/docs/reference/otlp#responses) |
| Your node stored the receipt | The node is offline (records wait at the edge for up to 15 minutes), or the key does not allow this environment |
| Read back from your node | Your browser could not read the records back through `edge.belvador.dev` yet — a VPN or network filter blocking that host is the usual cause; reload the page |

More symptoms: [Troubleshooting](https://belvador.dev/en/docs/otel/troubleshooting).