---
name: cloud-logs-destinations
title: Working with notification channels
description: Alerts are sent by IBM Cloud Logs using IBM Cloud Event Notifications. You must configure Event Notifications destinations to send the alert to a notification channel. A destination in Event Notifications defines the connectivity details for a notification channel.
last-updated: 2025-02-05
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-logs?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Working with notification channels
{: #destinations}

Alerts are sent by IBM Cloud Logs using IBM Cloud Event Notifications. You must configure Event Notifications destinations to send the alert to a notification channel. A destination in Event Notifications defines the connectivity details for a notification channel.
{: shortdesc}

You can only define one notification channel per destination.

For a complete list of supported destinations, see the [Event Notifications documentation](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-destination&format=markdown).
{: tip}

## Slack
{: #destinations-slack}

For more informatio on configuring a Slack destination, see [Configuring a slack destination](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-destinations-slack&format=markdown).

You can also configure a custom Slack template. For more information, see [Slack Notification Template](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-slack-notification-template&format=markdown).

When a message longer than 3000 characters is sent to Slack, the message text is truncated and the trunction is indicated by `...`
{: note}

## Webhooks
{: #destinations-webhook}

You can configure a webhook destination so that an incoming notification can be consumed programmatically by an app or service. For more information about setting up webhooks, see the [Event Notifications documentation](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-destinations-webhook&format=markdown).

If a call to the webhook URL fails, even after retry attempts, the notification is lost. For more information, see [Webhook retry policy](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-destinations-webhook&format=markdown#en-webhook-retry).
{: restriction}

You can configure a custom template. For more information, see [Webhook Notification Template](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-webhook-notifications-template&format=markdown).


## PagerDuty
{: #destinations-pagerduty}

You can configure a PagerDuty destination. For more information, see [Configuring a PagerDuty destination](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-destinations-pagerduty&format=markdown).

Only [event alerts](https://developer.pagerduty.com/docs/send-alert-event){: external} are sent to Pagerduty.
{: restriction}

There is a 512 KB size limit for the event [payload](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-logs?topic=cloud-logs-event-payload&interface=ui&format=markdown) sent by IBM Cloud Logs via Event Notifications to PagerDuty.
{: restriction}

The following table shows the mapping of fields between the Event Notifications service and PagerDuty:

| PagerDuty field | Event Notifications mapping |
|-----------------|----------------------------------------|
| `routing_key`   | `routing_key`  (Destination configuration)   |
| `event_action`  | Only the `trigger` action is supported |
| `payload.summary` | Set to the event `ibmendefaultlong` field |
| `payload.source` | Set to the event `ibmensourceid` field |
| `payload.severity` | Set to the event `ibmenseverity` field  |
| `payload.timestamp` | Set to the event `time` field |
| `payload.custom_details` | Set to the event `data` object |
{: caption="Pagerduty field to Event Notifications mapping" caption-side="bottom"}

The following table shows the mapping of severties across the different components:

| IBM Cloud Logs severity | Event Notifications severity | PagerDuty severity |
|---------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|--------------------|
| `CRITICAL`                            | `Critical`                              | `critical`         |
| `ERROR`                               | `Error`                                 | `error`            |
| `WARNING`                             | `Warning`                               | `warning`          |
| `INFO`                                | `Info`   (Default Severity)             | `info`             |
| Anything Else | Info | |
{: caption="Severity mapping" caption-side="bottom"}


## Email notifications
{: #destinations-email}

You can configure email as a destination type.

Event Notifications provides the following email destination types:

- Inbuilt Email

   Inbuilt Email destination provides a SMTP relay for sending transactional and informational event notification emails to recipients who need to be aware of events that happen within your IBM Cloud account.

   This destination can be used to send email notifications for events originating only from IBM Cloud sources.
   {: important}

   The content sent cannot be modified.

   This destination is provided by default, and is available whenever you create an instance of the Event Notifications service.

   These emails originate from `no-reply@cloud.ibm.com` or `event-notifications@cloud.ibm.com`.

   You can add your own reply-to address.

   You can add this type of destination directly to a subscription along with the email addresses of interest.

   When using the Event Notifications `Lite` plan, you can have up to 3 email addresses in the recipient list. If you are using the Event Notifications `Standard` plan you can have up to 10000 email addresses in the recipient list.
   {: note}

   Read the information in this topic before [Creating a subscription to the IBM Cloud Email service destination type](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-create-en-subscription&format=markdown#en-Email-destination).

   To receive detailed information about an event notification in your email, select the **Add notification payload** option when you create an Event Notifications subscription. Your email displays the [notification payload details](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-logs?topic=cloud-logs-event-payload&format=markdown) that are associated with the event.
    {: tip}

   For more information, see [Inbuilt Email](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-destination-email-destination-default&format=markdown).

- IBM Cloud Email service with a custom domain

   Custom Domain Email destinations let you to tailor your communication by adding your own domain.

   You have the flexibility to send emails using the email address associated with your specific domain, personalizing your correspondence, by sending your own email content.

   You can configure a custom email template. For more information, see [Email Templates](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-email-templates&format=markdown).

   For more information about using custom domains, see [IBM Cloud Email service with custom domain](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-destinations-custom-email&format=markdown).

   The ability to configure custom domains requires an IBM Cloud Event Notifications instance running the Standard pricing plan.
   {: important}

## ServiceNow
{: #destinations-servicenow}

You can configure a ServiceNow destination. For more information, see [Configuring a ServiceNow destination](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/event-notifications?topic=event-notifications-en-destinations-servicenow&format=markdown).