> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.odigos.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connecting VM Agent

> Connect existing VM Agent hosts to Odigos Central for centralized visibility and management.

Powered by **eBPF**, the **Odigos VM Agent** automatically instruments systemd services, processes, and containers across your Linux hosts, seamlessly exporting telemetry to your observability backends. **Odigos Central** then brings it all together, providing a single, unified interface to view and manage all your VM Agent hosts from one place.

<Note>If you are looking to connect Kubernetes clusters, see [Remote Clusters](/central/adding-connections/remote-clusters).</Note>

## Prerequisites

Before you connect a host, make sure you:

* Install VM Agent on your Linux hosts. If VM Agent is not installed yet, start with [VM Agent installation](/vmagent/setup/installation).
* Expose Odigos Central externally (for example, via an Ingress, LoadBalancer Service, or another supported exposure method).
* Have a Central endpoint URL that is reachable from your VM hosts.

To connect VM Agent to Odigos Central, use one of the following methods:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="odictl">
    Use `odictl` to connect the VM Agent to Odigos Central.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open odictl on the host">
        ```shell theme={null}
        odictl
        ```

        <img
          src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/odigos/images/central/vmagent/odictl-home.png"
          alt="odictl home screen"
          style={{    
        width: "700px",
        height: "auto",
        display: "block",
        margin: "0 auto"
      }}
        />
      </Step>

      <Step title="Go to the Configuration screen">
        Press `c` to navigate to the configuration screen.

        <img
          src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/odigos/images/central/vmagent/odictl-config.png"
          alt="odictl config screen"
          style={{    
        width: "700px",
        height: "auto",
        display: "block",
        margin: "0 auto"
      }}
        />
      </Step>

      <Step title="Navigate to the Tower section">
        Use the arrow keys or mouse to navigate to the Tower section on the left side of the screen.

        <img
          src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/odigos/images/central/vmagent/odictl-tower.png"
          alt="odictl tower screen"
          style={{    
        width: "700px",
        height: "auto",
        display: "block",
        margin: "0 auto"
      }}
        />
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure Tower settings">
        Use the `Tab` key or mouse to navigate and configure the following fields:

        <ParamField path="tower.enabled" type="boolean" required>
          Enable the Central controller. If false, the controller will not start.<br />
          Set this value to `true`.
        </ParamField>

        <ParamField path="tower.endpoint" type="string" required>
          WebSocket endpoint of the Central server in host:port or URL format.<br />
          Set this to the Central endpoint URL from the [Prerequisites](#prerequisites) section above.
        </ParamField>

        <ParamField path="tower.agent_name" type="string">
          Agent name identifier for this VM Agent instance. (Defaults to IP of the host where dots are replaced with dashes, with an ip- prefix)<br />
          Set this to the display name you want to see in Odigos Central.
        </ParamField>

        <img
          src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/odigos/images/central/vmagent/odictl-tower-configured.png"
          alt="odictl tower screen"
          style={{    
        width: "700px",
        height: "auto",
        display: "block",
        margin: "0 auto"
      }}
        />
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save the configuration">
        Press `Ctrl+S` to save the configuration.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Exit odictl">
        Press `Ctrl+C` to exit `odictl`.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Restart the odigos-vmagent service">
        Restart the VM Agent service:

        ```shell theme={null}
        sudo systemctl restart odigos-vmagent.service
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="YAML">
    Use `YAML` configuration files to connect VM Agent to Odigos Central.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Navigate to the /etc/odigos-vmagent folder">
        ```shell theme={null}
        cd /etc/odigos-vmagent
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Edit the config.yaml file">
        Edit the `config.yaml` file using an editor of your choice. The example below uses [vi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi).

        ```shell theme={null}
        sudo vi config.yaml
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add Odigos Central to the configuration">
        Modify the following fields:

        <ParamField path="enabled" type="boolean" required>
          Enable the Central controller. If false, the controller will not start.<br />
          Set this value to `true`.
        </ParamField>

        <ParamField path="endpoint" type="string" required>
          WebSocket endpoint of the Central server in host:port or URL format.<br />
          Set this to the Central endpoint URL from the [Prerequisites](#prerequisites) section above.
        </ParamField>

        <ParamField path="agent_name" type="string">
          Agent name identifier for this VM Agent instance. (Defaults to IP of the host where dots are replaced with dashes, with an ip- prefix)<br />
          Set this to the display name you want to see in Odigos Central.
        </ParamField>

        ```yaml theme={null}
        log_level: info
        log_format: console
        cli:
          port: 23678
        tower:
          enabled: true
          endpoint: "odigoscentral.example.com"
          agent_name: ip-10-0-1-51
          platform_type: vm
          version: v1.6.0
        ...
        ```

        <Note>The `YAML` above is only a snippet of the full `config.yaml` file.</Note>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save the file">
        ```shell theme={null}
        :wq!
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Restart the odigos-vmagent service">
        Restart the VM Agent service:

        ```shell theme={null}
        sudo systemctl restart odigos-vmagent.service
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

You should now see your VM Agent listed under Connections in the Central UI.

## Next steps

<Card title="VM Agent overview" icon="desktop" href="/vmagent/overview">
  Learn more about VM Agent capabilities and core concepts.
</Card>