Email Notifications
Email is the default notification channel in Pulsar. Configure who receives alerts and when.
Setup
Email is a notification channel like any other: create it once, then link it to the sites it should cover.
Creating an email channel
- Go to Settings → Notification Channels → Create Channel
- Enter a Channel Name (for example "Ops team")
- Set Channel Type to Email
- Add up to 5 email addresses
- Optionally set a Timezone for this channel; it defaults to your account timezone and drives the digest send time
- Choose the Alert delivery mode (see below)
- Click Create
Linking it to sites
A channel sends nothing until it is attached to a site. Open the site, click Link Channel in the Notification Channels card and pick the email channel. Use the Test action on the channel row in Settings to send a test email.
Delivery modes
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Incidents instant, rest daily digest (default) | Down, compromised and checkout failures email immediately. Degraded states, new log errors and advisories roll into one daily digest sent at the hour you choose, in the channel's timezone. |
| Everything instant | Every alert emails as it happens. |
Email Content
Alert emails include:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Subject | Site name and alert type |
| Status | Current site status (Down/Up) |
| URL | Direct link to the site in Pulsar |
| Details | Error message or failure reason |
| Timestamp | When the issue was detected |
Example Alert Email
Subject: [PULSAR] mystore.com is DOWN
Site: mystore.com
Status: DOWN
Time: 2024-01-15 14:32:00 UTC
Error: HTTP 503 Service Unavailable
Response time: 2,340ms
View in Pulsar: https://pulsar.byte8.io/sites/abc123
Example Recovery Email
Subject: [PULSAR] mystore.com is UP
Site: mystore.com
Status: UP
Time: 2024-01-15 14:45:00 UTC
Downtime duration: 13 minutes
View in Pulsar: https://pulsar.byte8.io/sites/abc123
Configuration Options
Notification Frequency
Control how often you receive emails:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Immediate | Send every alert as soon as it's detected |
| Incidents instant, rest daily | Incident alerts (site down, checkout failed, security compromises, advisories) still page immediately; everything lower-severity is rolled into one daily digest email at the hour you choose |
Alert Types
Choose which alert types trigger emails:
- Site down
- JavaScript errors
- Checkout failures
- Performance degradation
Best Practices
- Use team aliases - Send to
team@company.cominstead of individuals - Configure routing - Set up email rules to prioritize Pulsar alerts
- Add backup recipients - Ensure coverage during vacations
- Test delivery - Use the test notification feature to verify setup
Troubleshooting
Not Receiving Emails
- Check spam/junk folders
- Verify email address is correct
- Check for email filtering rules
- Whitelist
alerts@byte8.io
Delayed Emails
Email delivery depends on your email provider. For time-critical alerts, consider adding Slack or webhooks as backup channels.