> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://tero-0926be64-video-walkthrough.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # What is Edge? > A telemetry policy runtime for your infrastructure Tero Edge [Edge](https://github.com/usetero/edge) is a telemetry policy runtime. It runs in your infrastructure and applies policies to telemetry before that data reaches an observability provider. Edge sits between telemetry sources and destinations: ```mermaid theme={null} flowchart LR Sources[Applications and agents] --> Edge[Tero Edge] Edge --> Provider[Observability provider] Policies[Policies] -. sync .-> Edge style Sources fill:#262626,stroke:#262626,color:#fafafa style Edge fill:#00855c,stroke:#006b49,color:#fafafa style Provider fill:#0e2b22,stroke:#0e2b22,color:#fafafa style Policies fill:#d1fae5,stroke:#10b981,color:#065f46 ``` Use Edge when a policy should run before telemetry leaves your network. Common policy actions include dropping low-value logs, sampling high-volume events, redacting sensitive values, and transforming fields into a cleaner shape. ## Where Edge fits Tero owns policy review, state, and impact. Edge owns runtime execution for the policies deployed to it. Reviewers can inspect issue evidence and approve policy changes in Tero. Edge receives the policy set, evaluates incoming telemetry, and forwards the telemetry that remains after policy execution. **Edge controls what reaches your observability provider.** ## When to use Edge Edge is useful when the control should happen close to the telemetry source: * Redact sensitive data before it leaves your infrastructure. * Drop repetitive logs before they consume provider ingestion. * Sample or rate-limit high-volume events before they flood the pipeline. * Run the same field transforms across services before storage. Provider-side controls can still be useful. Edge is the runtime surface for policies that need to execute in your environment instead of only inside Datadog, Splunk, or another destination. ## What Edge processes Edge receives telemetry through supported distributions and protocols, evaluates policies, and forwards surviving telemetry upstream. Current distribution docs cover: Datadog log and metric ingestion. OpenTelemetry Protocol ingestion. Multi-protocol Edge distribution. ## Where to go next Use [How Edge works](/edge/concepts) for the runtime model. Use [Quickstart](/edge/quickstart) to run Edge locally and verify one policy.