> ## 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.

# Continuous profiling overview

> How continuous CPU profiling works on the Odigos VM Agent: eBPF collection, service attribution, and export to Pyroscope.

## See it in action!

The clip below shows the full path on a host: enabling `profiling.enabled` via `odictl`, adding a Pyroscope destination, and the resulting flame graph in the Pyroscope UI.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/odigos/Z3K5Ztm4CqA3lhsa/images/vmagent/profiling/vm-profiling-demo.gif?s=061fc7e186e7f8caeb7ed8c07a32ead2" alt="End-to-end VM Agent profiling demo: enable profiling, add destination, view flame graph" width="1200" height="780" data-path="images/vmagent/profiling/vm-profiling-demo.gif" />

## What is continuous CPU profiling?

CPU profiling samples what your processes are doing on the CPU. Over time, those samples form a **flame graph** that shows which functions and libraries consume the most CPU time.

Unlike traces, which tell you *that* a request was slow, profiles show *where* CPU time was spent. Use profiles after traces (or metrics) point you at a hot service.

## How it works on the VM Agent

1. You enable the profiling pipeline in agent config (`profiling.enabled: true`).
2. **odigos-otelcol** runs the OpenTelemetry [eBPF profiler](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-ebpf-profiler) receiver on the host.
3. Profiles are exported as using **OTLP Profiles** protocol to a destination which supports OTLP profiles.

## Prerequisites

* Linux host meeting [VM Agent system requirements](../../setup/system-requirements) (eBPF-capable kernel).
* VM Agent installed and running ([Installation](../../setup/installation)).
* At least one [source](../../setup/configuration/add-sources) enabled for the workloads you want to profile.
* A destination that accepts the **PROFILES** signal (see [Export to Pyroscope](./export-pyroscope) for the recommended setup).

## Getting Help

If you have any issues, or require our assistance, please open an issue in [GitHub](https://github.com/odigos-io/odigos), or reach out to us in [Odigos Slack](https://join.slack.com/t/odigos/shared_invite/zt-24u91yknm-0fLXu6qnqYfNHS_GSUgTJw)