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

# Alert Channels

> Configure XIMP notification channels — email, webhook, PagerDuty, and Slack — and set up multi-tier escalation policies for critical infrastructure alerts.

## Overview

Alert channels define how XIMP delivers notifications when alert rules fire. Channels
must be configured before creating alert rules that reference them. This page covers
creating and testing all supported channel types, and configuring escalation policies
for critical alerts.

<Warning>
  **Administrator Access Required** — This operation requires the `admin` role. Contact your
  Xloud administrator if you do not have sufficient permissions.
</Warning>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="XDeploy" icon="server">
    SMTP email alerts and webhook notifications can be configured directly in XDeploy:

    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Open Configuration" icon="settings">
        Navigate to **XDeploy → Configuration** and select the **Monitoring** tab.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure alert channels" icon="bell">
        Scroll to the **Alert Configuration** section and set the notification channels:

        | Setting               | Description                                                 |
        | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
        | **SMTP Server**       | Mail server hostname and port                               |
        | **SMTP From Address** | Sender email address for alert notifications                |
        | **SMTP Recipients**   | Comma-separated recipient email addresses                   |
        | **SMTP TLS Mode**     | TLS encryption mode (STARTTLS or SSL)                       |
        | **Webhook URL**       | Endpoint URL for Slack, Microsoft Teams, or custom webhooks |
      </Step>

      <Step title="Test the channels" icon="flask-conical">
        Use the **Test Email** and **Test Webhook** buttons to verify delivery before
        saving. This sends a test notification to confirm connectivity and credentials.

        <Tip>
          Always test channels immediately after configuration. Discovering a broken
          channel during a real incident delays response significantly.
        </Tip>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save and deploy" icon="rocket">
        Click **Save Configuration**, then navigate to **XDeploy → Operations** and
        run a **Reconfigure** for the monitoring services.

        <Check>Alert channels are configured and tested.</Check>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    Alert channels can also be configured through the XIMP CLI and the Monitoring
    Dashboard. See the sections below for channel-specific configuration.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Note>
  **Prerequisites**

  * Administrator credentials with the `admin` role
  * SMTP, webhook, PagerDuty, or Slack credentials depending on the channel type
</Note>

***

## Creating Alert Channels

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Navigate to Alert Channels" icon="bell">
        Navigate to **Monitor Center > Monitoring** (Add Channel, admin view).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure the channel" icon="settings">
        Select the channel type and complete the required fields:

        | Channel Type  | Required Fields                                            |
        | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
        | **Email**     | SMTP server, port, from address, recipient list, TLS mode  |
        | **Webhook**   | URL, HTTP method, optional Authorization header            |
        | **PagerDuty** | Integration key (from PagerDuty service), severity mapping |
        | **Slack**     | Incoming webhook URL, target channel name                  |
        | **Teams**     | Incoming webhook URL                                       |
      </Step>

      <Step title="Test the channel" icon="flask-conical">
        Click **Test** after saving to send a test notification. Verify delivery before
        assigning the channel to production alert rules.

        <Tip>
          Use the **Test** button immediately after creating a channel. Discovering a
          broken channel during a real incident delays response significantly.
        </Tip>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    ```bash title="List configured channels" theme={null}
    ximp alert channel list
    ```

    ```bash title="Add email channel" theme={null}
    ximp alert channel create \
      --name ops-email \
      --type email \
      --to ops-team@example.com \
      --smtp smtp.example.com:587
    ```

    ```bash title="Add webhook channel" theme={null}
    ximp alert channel create \
      --name ops-webhook \
      --type webhook \
      --url https://hooks.example.com/ximp \
      --method POST
    ```

    ```bash title="Test a channel" theme={null}
    ximp alert channel test ops-webhook
    ```

    ```bash title="Delete a channel" theme={null}
    ximp alert channel delete ops-webhook
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Escalation Policies

Configure multi-tier escalation for critical infrastructure alerts:

<Steps titleSize="h3">
  <Step title="Navigate to Escalation Policies" icon="arrow-up">
    Navigate to **Monitor Center > Monitoring** (Escalation Policies, admin view).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Define escalation tiers" icon="layers">
    | Tier       | Trigger              | Channel              | Delay      |
    | ---------- | -------------------- | -------------------- | ---------- |
    | **Tier 1** | Alert fires          | PagerDuty on-call    | Immediate  |
    | **Tier 2** | Not acknowledged     | Slack ops channel    | 5 minutes  |
    | **Tier 3** | Still unacknowledged | Page on-call manager | 15 minutes |

    <Warning>
      Escalation policies only apply to alert rules with the policy assigned. Verify
      every critical alert rule has an escalation policy — a rule without one stops
      at Tier 1 and never escalates.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign to alert rules" icon="link">
    Open the target alert rule and set the **Escalation Policy** field. The policy
    applies to all future alert events for that rule.

    <Check>Alert rule references the escalation policy. Future alert events will escalate per the configured tiers.</Check>
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Channel Configuration Reference

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Email (SMTP)" icon="mail">
    ```yaml title="Email channel configuration" theme={null}
    name: ops-email
    type: email
    smtp:
      server: smtp.example.com
      port: 587
      username: ximp@example.com
      password: <SMTP_PASSWORD>
      tls: starttls
    from: ximp@example.com
    recipients:
      - ops-team@example.com
      - oncall@example.com
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="PagerDuty" icon="bell">
    ```yaml title="PagerDuty channel configuration" theme={null}
    name: pagerduty-oncall
    type: pagerduty
    integration_key: <PAGERDUTY_INTEGRATION_KEY>
    severity_mapping:
      critical: critical
      warning: warning
      info: info
    ```

    Generate the integration key in PagerDuty under **Services → Integrations → Add Integration → Events API v2**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Slack" icon="message-square">
    ```yaml title="Slack channel configuration" theme={null}
    name: slack-ops
    type: slack
    webhook_url: https://hooks.slack.com/services/T.../B.../...
    channel: "#ops-alerts"
    username: "XIMP Alerts"
    icon_emoji: ":alert:"
    ```

    Generate the webhook URL in Slack under **Apps → Incoming Webhooks → Add to Slack**.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Metrics & Alerts (User Guide)" href="/services/monitoring/user-guide/metrics-alerts" color="#197560">
    How users create alert rules that reference these channels
  </Card>

  <Card title="Alert Rules (Advanced)" href="/services/monitoring/user-guide/alert-rules" color="#197560">
    Silence rules, inhibition, and escalation policy usage
  </Card>

  <Card title="Security" href="/services/monitoring/admin-guide/security" color="#197560">
    Dashboard access control and credential management
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" href="/services/monitoring/admin-guide/troubleshooting" color="#197560">
    Diagnose channel delivery failures and SMTP connectivity issues
  </Card>
</CardGroup>