diff --git a/Godeps b/Godeps
index 005aee939d56e..d0d2194c608a6 100644
--- a/Godeps
+++ b/Godeps
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@ github.com/gorilla/context 1c83b3eabd45b6d76072b66b746c20815fb2872d
 github.com/gorilla/mux 26a6070f849969ba72b72256e9f14cf519751690
 github.com/hailocab/go-hostpool e80d13ce29ede4452c43dea11e79b9bc8a15b478
 github.com/influxdata/config bae7cb98197d842374d3b8403905924094930f24
-github.com/influxdata/influxdb a9552fdd91361819a792f337e5d9998859732a67
-github.com/influxdb/influxdb a9552fdd91361819a792f337e5d9998859732a67
+github.com/influxdata/influxdb ef571fc104dc24b77cd3710c156cd95e5cfd7aa5
 github.com/jmespath/go-jmespath c01cf91b011868172fdcd9f41838e80c9d716264
 github.com/klauspost/crc32 999f3125931f6557b991b2f8472172bdfa578d38
 github.com/lib/pq 8ad2b298cadd691a77015666a5372eae5dbfac8f
diff --git a/internal/config/config.go b/internal/config/config.go
index 766ba1189cc8d..ffd4f632a9765 100644
--- a/internal/config/config.go
+++ b/internal/config/config.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/parsers"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
 
 	"github.com/influxdata/config"
 	"github.com/naoina/toml/ast"
@@ -398,6 +399,17 @@ func (c *Config) addOutput(name string, table *ast.Table) error {
 	}
 	output := creator()
 
+	// If the output has a SetSerializer function, then this means it can write
+	// arbitrary types of output, so build the serializer and set it.
+	switch t := output.(type) {
+	case serializers.SerializerOutput:
+		serializer, err := buildSerializer(name, table)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		t.SetSerializer(serializer)
+	}
+
 	outputConfig, err := buildOutput(name, table)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -660,6 +672,37 @@ func buildParser(name string, tbl *ast.Table) (parsers.Parser, error) {
 	return parsers.NewParser(c)
 }
 
+// buildSerializer grabs the necessary entries from the ast.Table for creating
+// a serializers.Serializer object, and creates it, which can then be added onto
+// an Output object.
+func buildSerializer(name string, tbl *ast.Table) (serializers.Serializer, error) {
+	c := &serializers.Config{}
+
+	if node, ok := tbl.Fields["data_format"]; ok {
+		if kv, ok := node.(*ast.KeyValue); ok {
+			if str, ok := kv.Value.(*ast.String); ok {
+				c.DataFormat = str.Value
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if c.DataFormat == "" {
+		c.DataFormat = "influx"
+	}
+
+	if node, ok := tbl.Fields["prefix"]; ok {
+		if kv, ok := node.(*ast.KeyValue); ok {
+			if str, ok := kv.Value.(*ast.String); ok {
+				c.Prefix = str.Value
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	delete(tbl.Fields, "data_format")
+	delete(tbl.Fields, "prefix")
+	return serializers.NewSerializer(c)
+}
+
 // buildOutput parses output specific items from the ast.Table, builds the filter and returns an
 // internal_models.OutputConfig to be inserted into internal_models.RunningInput
 // Note: error exists in the return for future calls that might require error
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/all/all.go b/plugins/outputs/all/all.go
index ac8357c909090..18fb1c925e9b5 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/all/all.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/all/all.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	_ "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs/amqp"
 	_ "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs/cloudwatch"
 	_ "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs/datadog"
+	_ "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs/file"
 	_ "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs/graphite"
 	_ "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs/influxdb"
 	_ "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs/kafka"
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/amqp/amqp.go b/plugins/outputs/amqp/amqp.go
index 19d95f5122dbd..d826e6d52b7cb 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/amqp/amqp.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/amqp/amqp.go
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/internal"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
+
 	"github.com/streadway/amqp"
 )
 
@@ -39,6 +41,8 @@ type AMQP struct {
 	channel *amqp.Channel
 	sync.Mutex
 	headers amqp.Table
+
+	serializer serializers.Serializer
 }
 
 const (
@@ -69,8 +73,18 @@ var sampleConfig = `
   # ssl_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
   ### Use SSL but skip chain & host verification
   # insecure_skip_verify = false
+
+  ### Data format to output. This can be "influx" or "graphite"
+  ### Each data format has it's own unique set of configuration options, read
+  ### more about them here:
+  ### https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/DATA_FORMATS_OUTPUT.md
+  data_format = "influx"
 `
 
+func (a *AMQP) SetSerializer(serializer serializers.Serializer) {
+	a.serializer = serializer
+}
+
 func (q *AMQP) Connect() error {
 	q.Lock()
 	defer q.Unlock()
@@ -147,18 +161,24 @@ func (q *AMQP) Write(metrics []telegraf.Metric) error {
 	}
 	var outbuf = make(map[string][][]byte)
 
-	for _, p := range metrics {
-		var value, key string
-		value = p.String()
-
+	for _, metric := range metrics {
+		var key string
 		if q.RoutingTag != "" {
-			if h, ok := p.Tags()[q.RoutingTag]; ok {
+			if h, ok := metric.Tags()[q.RoutingTag]; ok {
 				key = h
 			}
 		}
-		outbuf[key] = append(outbuf[key], []byte(value))
 
+		values, err := q.serializer.Serialize(metric)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		for _, value := range values {
+			outbuf[key] = append(outbuf[key], []byte(value))
+		}
 	}
+
 	for key, buf := range outbuf {
 		err := q.channel.Publish(
 			q.Exchange, // exchange
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/amqp/amqp_test.go b/plugins/outputs/amqp/amqp_test.go
index 4cecff02ef551..66a0826276646 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/amqp/amqp_test.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/amqp/amqp_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package amqp
 import (
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/testutil"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
@@ -13,9 +14,11 @@ func TestConnectAndWrite(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	var url = "amqp://" + testutil.GetLocalHost() + ":5672/"
+	s, _ := serializers.NewInfluxSerializer()
 	q := &AMQP{
-		URL:      url,
-		Exchange: "telegraf_test",
+		URL:        url,
+		Exchange:   "telegraf_test",
+		serializer: s,
 	}
 
 	// Verify that we can connect to the AMQP broker
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/file/README.md b/plugins/outputs/file/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..6f3b7f513064f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/outputs/file/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+# file Output Plugin
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/file/file.go b/plugins/outputs/file/file.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..deae8aaf82a3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/outputs/file/file.go
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+package file
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
+)
+
+type File struct {
+	Files []string
+
+	writer  io.Writer
+	closers []io.Closer
+
+	serializer serializers.Serializer
+}
+
+var sampleConfig = `
+  ### Files to write to, "stdout" is a specially handled file.
+  files = ["stdout", "/tmp/metrics.out"]
+
+  ### Data format to output. This can be "influx" or "graphite"
+  ### Each data format has it's own unique set of configuration options, read
+  ### more about them here:
+  ### https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/DATA_FORMATS_OUTPUT.md
+  data_format = "influx"
+`
+
+func (f *File) SetSerializer(serializer serializers.Serializer) {
+	f.serializer = serializer
+}
+
+func (f *File) Connect() error {
+	writers := []io.Writer{}
+	for _, file := range f.Files {
+		if file == "stdout" {
+			writers = append(writers, os.Stdout)
+			f.closers = append(f.closers, os.Stdout)
+		} else {
+			var of *os.File
+			var err error
+			if _, err := os.Stat(file); os.IsNotExist(err) {
+				of, err = os.Create(file)
+			} else {
+				of, err = os.OpenFile(file, os.O_APPEND|os.O_WRONLY, os.ModeAppend)
+			}
+
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			writers = append(writers, of)
+			f.closers = append(f.closers, of)
+		}
+	}
+	f.writer = io.MultiWriter(writers...)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (f *File) Close() error {
+	var errS string
+	for _, c := range f.closers {
+		if err := c.Close(); err != nil {
+			errS += err.Error() + "\n"
+		}
+	}
+	if errS != "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf(errS)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (f *File) SampleConfig() string {
+	return sampleConfig
+}
+
+func (f *File) Description() string {
+	return "Send telegraf metrics to file(s)"
+}
+
+func (f *File) Write(metrics []telegraf.Metric) error {
+	if len(metrics) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	for _, metric := range metrics {
+		values, err := f.serializer.Serialize(metric)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		for _, value := range values {
+			_, err = f.writer.Write([]byte(value + "\n"))
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("FAILED to write message: %s, %s", value, err)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func init() {
+	outputs.Add("file", func() telegraf.Output {
+		return &File{}
+	})
+}
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/file/file_test.go b/plugins/outputs/file/file_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a2f15fc08e581
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/outputs/file/file_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+package file
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/internal"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/testutil"
+)
+
+const (
+	expNewFile   = "test1,tag1=value1 value=1 1257894000000000000\n"
+	expExistFile = "cpu,cpu=cpu0 value=100 1455312810012459582\n" +
+		"test1,tag1=value1 value=1 1257894000000000000\n"
+)
+
+func TestFileExistingFile(t *testing.T) {
+	fh := createFile()
+	s, _ := serializers.NewInfluxSerializer()
+	f := File{
+		Files:      []string{fh.Name()},
+		serializer: s,
+	}
+
+	err := f.Connect()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = f.Write(testutil.MockMetrics())
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	validateFile(fh.Name(), expExistFile, t)
+
+	err = f.Close()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestFileNewFile(t *testing.T) {
+	s, _ := serializers.NewInfluxSerializer()
+	fh := tmpFile()
+	f := File{
+		Files:      []string{fh},
+		serializer: s,
+	}
+
+	err := f.Connect()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = f.Write(testutil.MockMetrics())
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	validateFile(fh, expNewFile, t)
+
+	err = f.Close()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestFileExistingFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	fh1 := createFile()
+	fh2 := createFile()
+	fh3 := createFile()
+
+	s, _ := serializers.NewInfluxSerializer()
+	f := File{
+		Files:      []string{fh1.Name(), fh2.Name(), fh3.Name()},
+		serializer: s,
+	}
+
+	err := f.Connect()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = f.Write(testutil.MockMetrics())
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	validateFile(fh1.Name(), expExistFile, t)
+	validateFile(fh2.Name(), expExistFile, t)
+	validateFile(fh3.Name(), expExistFile, t)
+
+	err = f.Close()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestFileNewFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	s, _ := serializers.NewInfluxSerializer()
+	fh1 := tmpFile()
+	fh2 := tmpFile()
+	fh3 := tmpFile()
+	f := File{
+		Files:      []string{fh1, fh2, fh3},
+		serializer: s,
+	}
+
+	err := f.Connect()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = f.Write(testutil.MockMetrics())
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	validateFile(fh1, expNewFile, t)
+	validateFile(fh2, expNewFile, t)
+	validateFile(fh3, expNewFile, t)
+
+	err = f.Close()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestFileBoth(t *testing.T) {
+	fh1 := createFile()
+	fh2 := tmpFile()
+
+	s, _ := serializers.NewInfluxSerializer()
+	f := File{
+		Files:      []string{fh1.Name(), fh2},
+		serializer: s,
+	}
+
+	err := f.Connect()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = f.Write(testutil.MockMetrics())
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	validateFile(fh1.Name(), expExistFile, t)
+	validateFile(fh2, expNewFile, t)
+
+	err = f.Close()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestFileStdout(t *testing.T) {
+	// keep backup of the real stdout
+	old := os.Stdout
+	r, w, _ := os.Pipe()
+	os.Stdout = w
+
+	s, _ := serializers.NewInfluxSerializer()
+	f := File{
+		Files:      []string{"stdout"},
+		serializer: s,
+	}
+
+	err := f.Connect()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = f.Write(testutil.MockMetrics())
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = f.Close()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	outC := make(chan string)
+	// copy the output in a separate goroutine so printing can't block indefinitely
+	go func() {
+		var buf bytes.Buffer
+		io.Copy(&buf, r)
+		outC <- buf.String()
+	}()
+
+	// back to normal state
+	w.Close()
+	// restoring the real stdout
+	os.Stdout = old
+	out := <-outC
+
+	assert.Equal(t, expNewFile, out)
+}
+
+func createFile() *os.File {
+	f, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "")
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	f.WriteString("cpu,cpu=cpu0 value=100 1455312810012459582\n")
+	return f
+}
+
+func tmpFile() string {
+	d, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "")
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	return d + internal.RandomString(10)
+}
+
+func validateFile(fname, expS string, t *testing.T) {
+	buf, err := ioutil.ReadFile(fname)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	assert.Equal(t, expS, string(buf))
+}
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/graphite/graphite.go b/plugins/outputs/graphite/graphite.go
index 7e4414ffce0ff..29ac774f4450b 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/graphite/graphite.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/graphite/graphite.go
@@ -3,14 +3,15 @@ package graphite
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
-	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs"
 	"log"
 	"math/rand"
 	"net"
-	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
+
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
 )
 
 type Graphite struct {
@@ -71,42 +72,22 @@ func (g *Graphite) Description() string {
 func (g *Graphite) Write(metrics []telegraf.Metric) error {
 	// Prepare data
 	var bp []string
-	for _, metric := range metrics {
-		// Get name
-		name := metric.Name()
-		// Convert UnixNano to Unix timestamps
-		timestamp := metric.UnixNano() / 1000000000
-		tag_str := buildTags(metric)
+	s, err := serializers.NewGraphiteSerializer(g.Prefix)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 
-		for field_name, value := range metric.Fields() {
-			// Convert value
-			value_str := fmt.Sprintf("%#v", value)
-			// Write graphite metric
-			var graphitePoint string
-			if name == field_name {
-				graphitePoint = fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s %s %d\n",
-					tag_str,
-					strings.Replace(name, ".", "_", -1),
-					value_str,
-					timestamp)
-			} else {
-				graphitePoint = fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s.%s %s %d\n",
-					tag_str,
-					strings.Replace(name, ".", "_", -1),
-					strings.Replace(field_name, ".", "_", -1),
-					value_str,
-					timestamp)
-			}
-			if g.Prefix != "" {
-				graphitePoint = fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", g.Prefix, graphitePoint)
-			}
-			bp = append(bp, graphitePoint)
+	for _, metric := range metrics {
+		gMetrics, err := s.Serialize(metric)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Printf("Error serializing some metrics to graphite: %s", err.Error())
 		}
+		bp = append(bp, gMetrics...)
 	}
-	graphitePoints := strings.Join(bp, "")
+	graphitePoints := strings.Join(bp, "\n") + "\n"
 
 	// This will get set to nil if a successful write occurs
-	err := errors.New("Could not write to any Graphite server in cluster\n")
+	err = errors.New("Could not write to any Graphite server in cluster\n")
 
 	// Send data to a random server
 	p := rand.Perm(len(g.conns))
@@ -128,37 +109,6 @@ func (g *Graphite) Write(metrics []telegraf.Metric) error {
 	return err
 }
 
-func buildTags(metric telegraf.Metric) string {
-	var keys []string
-	tags := metric.Tags()
-	for k := range tags {
-		if k == "host" {
-			continue
-		}
-		keys = append(keys, k)
-	}
-	sort.Strings(keys)
-
-	var tag_str string
-	if host, ok := tags["host"]; ok {
-		if len(keys) > 0 {
-			tag_str = strings.Replace(host, ".", "_", -1) + "."
-		} else {
-			tag_str = strings.Replace(host, ".", "_", -1)
-		}
-	}
-
-	for i, k := range keys {
-		tag_value := strings.Replace(tags[k], ".", "_", -1)
-		if i == 0 {
-			tag_str += tag_value
-		} else {
-			tag_str += "." + tag_value
-		}
-	}
-	return tag_str
-}
-
 func init() {
 	outputs.Add("graphite", func() telegraf.Output {
 		return &Graphite{}
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/graphite/graphite_test.go b/plugins/outputs/graphite/graphite_test.go
index 2b62750e36729..9d94762418b63 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/graphite/graphite_test.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/graphite/graphite_test.go
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ func TestGraphiteOK(t *testing.T) {
 	// Start TCP server
 	wg.Add(1)
 	go TCPServer(t, &wg)
+	// Give the fake graphite TCP server some time to start:
+	time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * 100)
 
 	// Init plugin
 	g := Graphite{
@@ -95,32 +97,3 @@ func TCPServer(t *testing.T, wg *sync.WaitGroup) {
 	assert.Equal(t, "my.prefix.192_168_0_1.my_measurement.value 3.14 1289430000", data3)
 	conn.Close()
 }
-
-func TestGraphiteTags(t *testing.T) {
-	m1, _ := telegraf.NewMetric(
-		"mymeasurement",
-		map[string]string{"host": "192.168.0.1"},
-		map[string]interface{}{"value": float64(3.14)},
-		time.Date(2010, time.November, 10, 23, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
-	)
-	m2, _ := telegraf.NewMetric(
-		"mymeasurement",
-		map[string]string{"host": "192.168.0.1", "afoo": "first", "bfoo": "second"},
-		map[string]interface{}{"value": float64(3.14)},
-		time.Date(2010, time.November, 10, 23, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
-	)
-	m3, _ := telegraf.NewMetric(
-		"mymeasurement",
-		map[string]string{"afoo": "first", "bfoo": "second"},
-		map[string]interface{}{"value": float64(3.14)},
-		time.Date(2010, time.November, 10, 23, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
-	)
-
-	tags1 := buildTags(m1)
-	tags2 := buildTags(m2)
-	tags3 := buildTags(m3)
-
-	assert.Equal(t, "192_168_0_1", tags1)
-	assert.Equal(t, "192_168_0_1.first.second", tags2)
-	assert.Equal(t, "first.second", tags3)
-}
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/kafka/kafka.go b/plugins/outputs/kafka/kafka.go
index a1240dc28f76c..71c2642ddf9c9 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/kafka/kafka.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/kafka/kafka.go
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@ package kafka
 
 import (
 	"crypto/tls"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/internal"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
 
 	"github.com/Shopify/sarama"
 )
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ type Kafka struct {
 
 	tlsConfig tls.Config
 	producer  sarama.SyncProducer
+
+	serializer serializers.Serializer
 }
 
 var sampleConfig = `
@@ -57,8 +59,18 @@ var sampleConfig = `
   # ssl_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
   ### Use SSL but skip chain & host verification
   # insecure_skip_verify = false
+
+  ### Data format to output. This can be "influx" or "graphite"
+  ### Each data format has it's own unique set of configuration options, read
+  ### more about them here:
+  ### https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/DATA_FORMATS_OUTPUT.md
+  data_format = "influx"
 `
 
+func (k *Kafka) SetSerializer(serializer serializers.Serializer) {
+	k.serializer = serializer
+}
+
 func (k *Kafka) Connect() error {
 	config := sarama.NewConfig()
 	// Wait for all in-sync replicas to ack the message
@@ -109,21 +121,27 @@ func (k *Kafka) Write(metrics []telegraf.Metric) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	for _, p := range metrics {
-		value := p.String()
-
-		m := &sarama.ProducerMessage{
-			Topic: k.Topic,
-			Value: sarama.StringEncoder(value),
+	for _, metric := range metrics {
+		values, err := k.serializer.Serialize(metric)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
-		if h, ok := p.Tags()[k.RoutingTag]; ok {
-			m.Key = sarama.StringEncoder(h)
+
+		var pubErr error
+		for _, value := range values {
+			m := &sarama.ProducerMessage{
+				Topic: k.Topic,
+				Value: sarama.StringEncoder(value),
+			}
+			if h, ok := metric.Tags()[k.RoutingTag]; ok {
+				m.Key = sarama.StringEncoder(h)
+			}
+
+			_, _, pubErr = k.producer.SendMessage(m)
 		}
 
-		_, _, err := k.producer.SendMessage(m)
-		if err != nil {
-			return errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("FAILED to send kafka message: %s\n",
-				err))
+		if pubErr != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("FAILED to send kafka message: %s\n", pubErr)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/kafka/kafka_test.go b/plugins/outputs/kafka/kafka_test.go
index 103f268cbe830..f99e0ecea99fb 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/kafka/kafka_test.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/kafka/kafka_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package kafka
 import (
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/testutil"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
@@ -13,9 +14,11 @@ func TestConnectAndWrite(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	brokers := []string{testutil.GetLocalHost() + ":9092"}
+	s, _ := serializers.NewInfluxSerializer()
 	k := &Kafka{
-		Brokers: brokers,
-		Topic:   "Test",
+		Brokers:    brokers,
+		Topic:      "Test",
+		serializer: s,
 	}
 
 	// Verify that we can connect to the Kafka broker
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/mqtt/mqtt.go b/plugins/outputs/mqtt/mqtt.go
index 61f0ef5571a74..efa20944be60e 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/mqtt/mqtt.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/mqtt/mqtt.go
@@ -9,8 +9,35 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/internal"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
 )
 
+var sampleConfig = `
+  servers = ["localhost:1883"] # required.
+
+  ### MQTT outputs send metrics to this topic format
+  ###    "<topic_prefix>/<hostname>/<pluginname>/"
+  ###   ex: prefix/host/web01.example.com/mem
+  topic_prefix = "telegraf"
+
+  ### username and password to connect MQTT server.
+  # username = "telegraf"
+  # password = "metricsmetricsmetricsmetrics"
+
+  ### Optional SSL Config
+  # ssl_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
+  # ssl_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
+  # ssl_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
+  ### Use SSL but skip chain & host verification
+  # insecure_skip_verify = false
+
+  ### Data format to output. This can be "influx" or "graphite"
+  ### Each data format has it's own unique set of configuration options, read
+  ### more about them here:
+  ### https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/DATA_FORMATS_OUTPUT.md
+  data_format = "influx"
+`
+
 type MQTT struct {
 	Servers     []string `toml:"servers"`
 	Username    string
@@ -32,31 +59,11 @@ type MQTT struct {
 	client *paho.Client
 	opts   *paho.ClientOptions
 
+	serializer serializers.Serializer
+
 	sync.Mutex
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  servers = ["localhost:1883"] # required.
-  ### MQTT QoS, must be 0, 1, or 2
-  qos = 0
-
-  ### MQTT outputs send metrics to this topic format
-  ###    "<topic_prefix>/<hostname>/<pluginname>/"
-  ###   ex: prefix/host/web01.example.com/mem
-  topic_prefix = "telegraf"
-
-  ### username and password to connect MQTT server.
-  # username = "telegraf"
-  # password = "metricsmetricsmetricsmetrics"
-
-  ### Optional SSL Config
-  # ssl_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # ssl_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # ssl_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ### Use SSL but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
 func (m *MQTT) Connect() error {
 	var err error
 	m.Lock()
@@ -78,6 +85,10 @@ func (m *MQTT) Connect() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (m *MQTT) SetSerializer(serializer serializers.Serializer) {
+	m.serializer = serializer
+}
+
 func (m *MQTT) Close() error {
 	if m.client.IsConnected() {
 		m.client.Disconnect(20)
@@ -104,7 +115,7 @@ func (m *MQTT) Write(metrics []telegraf.Metric) error {
 		hostname = ""
 	}
 
-	for _, p := range metrics {
+	for _, metric := range metrics {
 		var t []string
 		if m.TopicPrefix != "" {
 			t = append(t, m.TopicPrefix)
@@ -113,13 +124,20 @@ func (m *MQTT) Write(metrics []telegraf.Metric) error {
 			t = append(t, hostname)
 		}
 
-		t = append(t, p.Name())
+		t = append(t, metric.Name())
 		topic := strings.Join(t, "/")
 
-		value := p.String()
-		err := m.publish(topic, value)
+		values, err := m.serializer.Serialize(metric)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("Could not write to MQTT server, %s", err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("MQTT Could not serialize metric: %s",
+				metric.String())
+		}
+
+		for _, value := range values {
+			err = m.publish(topic, value)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("Could not write to MQTT server, %s", err)
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/mqtt/mqtt_test.go b/plugins/outputs/mqtt/mqtt_test.go
index 25d0ab9e3137c..260eb0c640c54 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/mqtt/mqtt_test.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/mqtt/mqtt_test.go
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ package mqtt
 import (
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/testutil"
+
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
@@ -13,8 +15,10 @@ func TestConnectAndWrite(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	var url = testutil.GetLocalHost() + ":1883"
+	s, _ := serializers.NewInfluxSerializer()
 	m := &MQTT{
-		Servers: []string{url},
+		Servers:    []string{url},
+		serializer: s,
 	}
 
 	// Verify that we can connect to the MQTT broker
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/nsq/nsq.go b/plugins/outputs/nsq/nsq.go
index ce84c77d541d4..7fe9b2068b6f0 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/nsq/nsq.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/nsq/nsq.go
@@ -2,15 +2,20 @@ package nsq
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/nsqio/go-nsq"
+
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs"
-	"github.com/nsqio/go-nsq"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
 )
 
 type NSQ struct {
 	Server   string
 	Topic    string
 	producer *nsq.Producer
+
+	serializer serializers.Serializer
 }
 
 var sampleConfig = `
@@ -18,8 +23,18 @@ var sampleConfig = `
   server = "localhost:4150"
   ### NSQ topic for producer messages
   topic = "telegraf"
+
+  ### Data format to output. This can be "influx" or "graphite"
+  ### Each data format has it's own unique set of configuration options, read
+  ### more about them here:
+  ### https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/DATA_FORMATS_OUTPUT.md
+  data_format = "influx"
 `
 
+func (n *NSQ) SetSerializer(serializer serializers.Serializer) {
+	n.serializer = serializer
+}
+
 func (n *NSQ) Connect() error {
 	config := nsq.NewConfig()
 	producer, err := nsq.NewProducer(n.Server, config)
@@ -50,12 +65,21 @@ func (n *NSQ) Write(metrics []telegraf.Metric) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	for _, p := range metrics {
-		value := p.String()
+	for _, metric := range metrics {
+		values, err := n.serializer.Serialize(metric)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 
-		err := n.producer.Publish(n.Topic, []byte(value))
+		var pubErr error
+		for _, value := range values {
+			err = n.producer.Publish(n.Topic, []byte(value))
+			if err != nil {
+				pubErr = err
+			}
+		}
 
-		if err != nil {
+		if pubErr != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("FAILED to send NSQD message: %s", err)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/plugins/outputs/nsq/nsq_test.go b/plugins/outputs/nsq/nsq_test.go
index 0880d0252fb46..e2b0fc31d43e5 100644
--- a/plugins/outputs/nsq/nsq_test.go
+++ b/plugins/outputs/nsq/nsq_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package nsq
 import (
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/testutil"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
@@ -13,9 +14,11 @@ func TestConnectAndWrite(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	server := []string{testutil.GetLocalHost() + ":4150"}
+	s, _ := serializers.NewInfluxSerializer()
 	n := &NSQ{
-		Server: server[0],
-		Topic:  "telegraf",
+		Server:     server[0],
+		Topic:      "telegraf",
+		serializer: s,
 	}
 
 	// Verify that we can connect to the NSQ daemon
diff --git a/plugins/parsers/influx/parser.go b/plugins/parsers/influx/parser.go
index 345e60b2e3b27..8ab783b0dfb4d 100644
--- a/plugins/parsers/influx/parser.go
+++ b/plugins/parsers/influx/parser.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ type InfluxParser struct {
 	DefaultTags map[string]string
 }
 
-// ParseMetrics returns a slice of Metrics from a text representation of a
+// Parse returns a slice of Metrics from a text representation of a
 // metric (in line-protocol format)
 // with each metric separated by newlines. If any metrics fail to parse,
 // a non-nil error will be returned in addition to the metrics that parsed
diff --git a/plugins/serializers/graphite/graphite.go b/plugins/serializers/graphite/graphite.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..d04f756c182a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/serializers/graphite/graphite.go
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+package graphite
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
+)
+
+type GraphiteSerializer struct {
+	Prefix string
+}
+
+func (s *GraphiteSerializer) Serialize(metric telegraf.Metric) ([]string, error) {
+	out := []string{}
+	// Get name
+	name := metric.Name()
+	// Convert UnixNano to Unix timestamps
+	timestamp := metric.UnixNano() / 1000000000
+	tag_str := buildTags(metric)
+
+	for field_name, value := range metric.Fields() {
+		// Convert value
+		value_str := fmt.Sprintf("%#v", value)
+		// Write graphite metric
+		var graphitePoint string
+		if name == field_name {
+			graphitePoint = fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s %s %d",
+				tag_str,
+				strings.Replace(name, ".", "_", -1),
+				value_str,
+				timestamp)
+		} else {
+			graphitePoint = fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s.%s %s %d",
+				tag_str,
+				strings.Replace(name, ".", "_", -1),
+				strings.Replace(field_name, ".", "_", -1),
+				value_str,
+				timestamp)
+		}
+		if s.Prefix != "" {
+			graphitePoint = fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", s.Prefix, graphitePoint)
+		}
+		out = append(out, graphitePoint)
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+func buildTags(metric telegraf.Metric) string {
+	var keys []string
+	tags := metric.Tags()
+	for k := range tags {
+		if k == "host" {
+			continue
+		}
+		keys = append(keys, k)
+	}
+	sort.Strings(keys)
+
+	var tag_str string
+	if host, ok := tags["host"]; ok {
+		if len(keys) > 0 {
+			tag_str = strings.Replace(host, ".", "_", -1) + "."
+		} else {
+			tag_str = strings.Replace(host, ".", "_", -1)
+		}
+	}
+
+	for i, k := range keys {
+		tag_value := strings.Replace(tags[k], ".", "_", -1)
+		if i == 0 {
+			tag_str += tag_value
+		} else {
+			tag_str += "." + tag_value
+		}
+	}
+	return tag_str
+}
diff --git a/plugins/serializers/graphite/graphite_test.go b/plugins/serializers/graphite/graphite_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..72b203b7a63a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/serializers/graphite/graphite_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+package graphite
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"sort"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
+)
+
+func TestGraphiteTags(t *testing.T) {
+	m1, _ := telegraf.NewMetric(
+		"mymeasurement",
+		map[string]string{"host": "192.168.0.1"},
+		map[string]interface{}{"value": float64(3.14)},
+		time.Date(2010, time.November, 10, 23, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
+	)
+	m2, _ := telegraf.NewMetric(
+		"mymeasurement",
+		map[string]string{"host": "192.168.0.1", "afoo": "first", "bfoo": "second"},
+		map[string]interface{}{"value": float64(3.14)},
+		time.Date(2010, time.November, 10, 23, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
+	)
+	m3, _ := telegraf.NewMetric(
+		"mymeasurement",
+		map[string]string{"afoo": "first", "bfoo": "second"},
+		map[string]interface{}{"value": float64(3.14)},
+		time.Date(2010, time.November, 10, 23, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
+	)
+
+	tags1 := buildTags(m1)
+	tags2 := buildTags(m2)
+	tags3 := buildTags(m3)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "192_168_0_1", tags1)
+	assert.Equal(t, "192_168_0_1.first.second", tags2)
+	assert.Equal(t, "first.second", tags3)
+}
+
+func TestSerializeMetricNoHost(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now()
+	tags := map[string]string{
+		"cpu":        "cpu0",
+		"datacenter": "us-west-2",
+	}
+	fields := map[string]interface{}{
+		"usage_idle": float64(91.5),
+		"usage_busy": float64(8.5),
+	}
+	m, err := telegraf.NewMetric("cpu", tags, fields, now)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	s := GraphiteSerializer{}
+	mS, err := s.Serialize(m)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	expS := []string{
+		fmt.Sprintf("cpu0.us-west-2.cpu.usage_idle 91.5 %d", now.Unix()),
+		fmt.Sprintf("cpu0.us-west-2.cpu.usage_busy 8.5 %d", now.Unix()),
+	}
+	sort.Strings(mS)
+	sort.Strings(expS)
+	assert.Equal(t, expS, mS)
+}
+
+func TestSerializeMetricHost(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now()
+	tags := map[string]string{
+		"host":       "localhost",
+		"cpu":        "cpu0",
+		"datacenter": "us-west-2",
+	}
+	fields := map[string]interface{}{
+		"usage_idle": float64(91.5),
+		"usage_busy": float64(8.5),
+	}
+	m, err := telegraf.NewMetric("cpu", tags, fields, now)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	s := GraphiteSerializer{}
+	mS, err := s.Serialize(m)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	expS := []string{
+		fmt.Sprintf("localhost.cpu0.us-west-2.cpu.usage_idle 91.5 %d", now.Unix()),
+		fmt.Sprintf("localhost.cpu0.us-west-2.cpu.usage_busy 8.5 %d", now.Unix()),
+	}
+	sort.Strings(mS)
+	sort.Strings(expS)
+	assert.Equal(t, expS, mS)
+}
+
+func TestSerializeMetricPrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now()
+	tags := map[string]string{
+		"host":       "localhost",
+		"cpu":        "cpu0",
+		"datacenter": "us-west-2",
+	}
+	fields := map[string]interface{}{
+		"usage_idle": float64(91.5),
+		"usage_busy": float64(8.5),
+	}
+	m, err := telegraf.NewMetric("cpu", tags, fields, now)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	s := GraphiteSerializer{Prefix: "prefix"}
+	mS, err := s.Serialize(m)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	expS := []string{
+		fmt.Sprintf("prefix.localhost.cpu0.us-west-2.cpu.usage_idle 91.5 %d", now.Unix()),
+		fmt.Sprintf("prefix.localhost.cpu0.us-west-2.cpu.usage_busy 8.5 %d", now.Unix()),
+	}
+	sort.Strings(mS)
+	sort.Strings(expS)
+	assert.Equal(t, expS, mS)
+}
diff --git a/plugins/serializers/influx/influx.go b/plugins/serializers/influx/influx.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..03c53fed2a92a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/serializers/influx/influx.go
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+package influx
+
+import (
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
+)
+
+type InfluxSerializer struct {
+}
+
+func (s *InfluxSerializer) Serialize(metric telegraf.Metric) ([]string, error) {
+	return []string{metric.String()}, nil
+}
diff --git a/plugins/serializers/influx/influx_test.go b/plugins/serializers/influx/influx_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..4937800aa7d83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/serializers/influx/influx_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+package influx
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
+)
+
+func TestSerializeMetricFloat(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now()
+	tags := map[string]string{
+		"cpu": "cpu0",
+	}
+	fields := map[string]interface{}{
+		"usage_idle": float64(91.5),
+	}
+	m, err := telegraf.NewMetric("cpu", tags, fields, now)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	s := InfluxSerializer{}
+	mS, err := s.Serialize(m)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	expS := []string{fmt.Sprintf("cpu,cpu=cpu0 usage_idle=91.5 %d", now.UnixNano())}
+	assert.Equal(t, expS, mS)
+}
+
+func TestSerializeMetricInt(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now()
+	tags := map[string]string{
+		"cpu": "cpu0",
+	}
+	fields := map[string]interface{}{
+		"usage_idle": int64(90),
+	}
+	m, err := telegraf.NewMetric("cpu", tags, fields, now)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	s := InfluxSerializer{}
+	mS, err := s.Serialize(m)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	expS := []string{fmt.Sprintf("cpu,cpu=cpu0 usage_idle=90i %d", now.UnixNano())}
+	assert.Equal(t, expS, mS)
+}
+
+func TestSerializeMetricString(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Now()
+	tags := map[string]string{
+		"cpu": "cpu0",
+	}
+	fields := map[string]interface{}{
+		"usage_idle": "foobar",
+	}
+	m, err := telegraf.NewMetric("cpu", tags, fields, now)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	s := InfluxSerializer{}
+	mS, err := s.Serialize(m)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	expS := []string{fmt.Sprintf("cpu,cpu=cpu0 usage_idle=\"foobar\" %d", now.UnixNano())}
+	assert.Equal(t, expS, mS)
+}
diff --git a/plugins/serializers/registry.go b/plugins/serializers/registry.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..2fedfbeaf1fcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/serializers/registry.go
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+package serializers
+
+import (
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
+
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers/graphite"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/serializers/influx"
+)
+
+// SerializerOutput is an interface for output plugins that are able to
+// serialize telegraf metrics into arbitrary data formats.
+type SerializerOutput interface {
+	// SetSerializer sets the serializer function for the interface.
+	SetSerializer(serializer Serializer)
+}
+
+// Serializer is an interface defining functions that a serializer plugin must
+// satisfy.
+type Serializer interface {
+	// Serialize takes a single telegraf metric and turns it into a string.
+	Serialize(metric telegraf.Metric) ([]string, error)
+}
+
+// Config is a struct that covers the data types needed for all serializer types,
+// and can be used to instantiate _any_ of the serializers.
+type Config struct {
+	// Dataformat can be one of: influx, graphite
+	DataFormat string
+
+	// Prefix to add to all measurements, only supports Graphite
+	Prefix string
+}
+
+// NewSerializer a Serializer interface based on the given config.
+func NewSerializer(config *Config) (Serializer, error) {
+	var err error
+	var serializer Serializer
+	switch config.DataFormat {
+	case "influx":
+		serializer, err = NewInfluxSerializer()
+	case "graphite":
+		serializer, err = NewGraphiteSerializer(config.Prefix)
+	}
+	return serializer, err
+}
+
+func NewInfluxSerializer() (Serializer, error) {
+	return &influx.InfluxSerializer{}, nil
+}
+
+func NewGraphiteSerializer(prefix string) (Serializer, error) {
+	return &graphite.GraphiteSerializer{
+		Prefix: prefix,
+	}, nil
+}