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Uplinkr

Alerting Model and Notification Channels

Uplinkr focuses on alerting, not visualization.

The core principle: detect problems, notify the right people or systems, and stay out of the way.

At the moment, three notification channels are supported.

Alerts are evaluated per probe, then delivered as grouped notifications per project (and matching alert configuration) to reduce noise when multiple probes fail in the same run.

Log

Section titled “Log”

Every alert can be written to a log. This is the most basic and most reliable channel.

Benefits:

  • useful for local debugging
  • ideal for log-based monitoring stacks
  • zero external dependencies

When to use:

  • Development and testing environments
  • Integration with centralized logging systems (ELK, Splunk, Datadog)
  • Simple setups where logs are already monitored
  • As a fallback channel alongside other channels

Example use case: Your ops team uses a log aggregation tool that triggers PagerDuty alerts based on log patterns. Enable the log channel and let your existing infrastructure handle the alerting.

Mail

Section titled “Mail”

Email notifications are supported for direct alerts.

Benefits:

  • simple
  • universally supported
  • suitable for small setups

When to use:

  • Small teams or single-admin setups
  • Direct notifications to specific people
  • Low-frequency alerts where email is sufficient
  • Quick setup without additional infrastructure

Example use case: A freelancer monitors 5 client websites and wants immediate email alerts when something goes down. Mail channel provides instant notifications without setting up additional services.

Webhook

Section titled “Webhook”

Webhooks allow you to integrate Uplinkr into existing systems.

Typical use cases:

  • forward alerts to other monitoring tools (PagerDuty, Slack, Discord, Teams)
  • trigger custom workflows or automation
  • integrate with incident management systems
  • send alerts to multiple systems simultaneously

The webhook channel is intentionally generic. Uplinkr does not enforce a specific service.

When to use:

  • Integration with existing incident management workflows
  • Custom alert processing or enrichment
  • Teams using modern communication tools (Slack, Discord, Teams)
  • Complex routing logic based on alert content

Example use case: Your team uses Slack for operations. Configure a webhook pointing to a Slack webhook URL to post alerts directly into your #ops channel. Add HMAC signing for security.

Combining Channels

Section titled “Combining Channels”

You can enable multiple channels simultaneously:

Terminal window
UPLINKR_NOTIFY_CHANNELS=log,mail,webhook

Common combinations:

  • Log + Webhook: Reliable local logs plus integration with external services
  • Log + Mail: Simple setup with both logging and direct notifications
  • All three: Maximum coverage for critical infrastructure

Configuration

Section titled “Configuration”

For detailed configuration options including HMAC signing, retry strategies, and environment variables, see the Configuration Guide.

Why only these three (for now)

Section titled “Why only these three (for now)”

These channels cover the majority of real-world use cases without increasing complexity.

Rather than building specific integrations for every service (Slack, Discord, PagerDuty, etc.), the webhook channel provides a universal integration point. This approach:

  • Keeps Uplinkr’s codebase focused and maintainable
  • Allows integration with any service that accepts webhooks
  • Gives you full control over alert formatting and routing
  • Reduces dependencies and potential breaking changes

More channels may be added later based on user feedback. The focus is on stability and predictable behavior.