Skip to main content

Create a Webhook

Create webhooks to receive alerts from any monitoring system or custom application.

Before You Begin​

Before creating a webhook, decide which approach fits your use case:

  • Use a webhook template — If integrating with a popular tool (Datadog, PagerDuty, Prometheus, etc.), use a pre-configured template with field mappings already set up. Go to Browse Webhook Templates to see available templates.
  • Create a custom webhook — If integrating with a custom application, internal tool, or a system without a template, follow the steps below to create a custom webhook with manual field mapping.

Create Webhook Integration​

Step 1: Navigate to Integrations​

  1. Navigate to Integrations in the left sidebar
  2. Click New Integration to open the webhook creation dialog

Step 2: Configure Basic Details​

  1. Enter a name for the webhook integration (e.g., "Production Datadog Alerts", "Custom Monitoring")
  2. Add a description (optional) to document the purpose of this webhook
  3. Select integration type:
    • Alert — For monitoring, alerting, and CI/CD notifications (most common)
    • Incident — For incident management systems with bidirectional sync (Jira, ServiceNow)
    • Build — For CI build notifications
    • Deployment — For deployment event processing

Step 3: Select Template (Optional)​

If integrating with a supported tool:

  1. Click Select Template to browse available templates
  2. Choose from Monitoring & Observability, CI/CD & Development, Cloud Platforms, or ITSM & Ticketing
  3. Select the template for your tool (e.g., Datadog, PagerDuty, GitHub)

If creating a custom webhook, skip this step and proceed with no template selected.

Step 4: Save Initial Configuration​

Click Save to generate the webhook endpoint. The system will:

  1. Create a unique webhook URL
  2. Generate a unique email address (optional trigger method)
  3. Open the advanced configuration interface

Configure Webhook Endpoints​

After saving, you will see two methods to trigger alerts:

Copy the webhook URL displayed on the configuration page:

https://app.harness.io/gateway/ir/tp/account/{account-id}/api/v1/mc/webhook/{webhook-id}

Use this URL when configuring your external monitoring tool to send HTTP POST requests.

Email Address (Alternative)​

Copy the email address displayed on the configuration page:

webhook-id@prod2.alerts.harness.io

Use this address when configuring legacy systems that only support email notifications. Emails sent to this address are parsed to extract alert information.

Go to Set Up External Systems for detailed guides on configuring specific tools to send webhooks.

Configure Payload Mapping​

Payload mapping extracts data from incoming webhook payloads and maps it to alert properties in Harness AI SRE.

Step 1: Review Pre-Configured Fields​

If you selected a template, the payload configuration appears pre-filled with:

  • Standard fields for the selected tool
  • Example payload structure showing expected data format
  • Field paths using JSONPath notation

If creating a custom webhook, the payload configuration is empty.

Step 2: Add Payload Fields​

Select which fields to extract from incoming webhook payloads:

  1. Review the right panel showing available fields
  2. Check the checkbox next to each field you want to extract
  3. Selected fields appear in the extracted fields list

For nested fields, use dot notation:

  • alert.severity — extracts severity from nested alert object
  • incident.details.title — extracts title from deeply nested structure

Step 3: Add Custom Fields​

To extract fields not in the template:

  1. Click Add Field in the payload configuration section
  2. Enter the field name (e.g., custom_severity)
  3. Enter the JSONPath to extract the field (e.g., $.alert.custom_severity)
  4. Click Save to add the custom field to the extraction list

Step 4: View JSON Payload​

Click the JSON toggle to see the complete payload structure:

  1. Review the formatted JSON structure
  2. Verify field paths match your expected webhook data
  3. Use this format as reference when configuring the sending system

Map Fields to Alert Properties​

After extracting fields from the webhook payload, map them to alert properties in Harness AI SRE.

Step 1: Navigate to Field Mapping​

Navigate to the Mapped Fields section to configure how extracted data populates alert properties.

Step 2: Map Default Fields​

Map extracted fields to standard alert properties:

  1. Drag extracted fields from the left panel to the field value boxes
  2. Use the data picker to select field mappings
  3. Configure field relationships between webhook data and alert properties

Common field mappings:

Alert PropertyWebhook Field ExampleDescription
Title{{webhook.alert_name}}Alert title or summary
Description{{webhook.message}}Detailed alert description
Severity{{webhook.severity}}Alert severity level
Service{{webhook.service_name}}Affected service or application
Environment{{webhook.environment}}Environment (production, staging, etc.)

Step 3: Use Mustache Templates​

Reference webhook fields using Mustache template syntax:

{{webhook.field_name}}

Examples:

  • Simple field reference: {{webhook.severity}}
  • Nested field: {{webhook.alert.details.message}}
  • Concatenate fields: {{webhook.service}}: {{webhook.alert_name}}

Go to Use Mustache in Webhooks for complete mapping examples and patterns.

Step 4: Add Advanced CEL Expressions​

For complex field transformations, use CEL expressions:

Extract with regex:

regex.extract(webhook.message, r"error_code: (\d+)")

Provide default values:

webhook.severity.orValue("medium")

Conditional mapping:

webhook.priority == "P1" ? "critical" : webhook.priority == "P2" ? "high" : "medium"

Trim whitespace:

webhook.service_name.trim()

Go to Use CEL in Webhooks for detailed filtering examples and patterns.

Step 5: Add Custom Mapped Fields​

To create custom alert properties:

  1. Click Add Field in the mapped fields section
  2. Configure the custom field:
    • Name: Field name (e.g., incident_id)
    • Description: Field purpose (optional)
    • Type: Data type (string, number, boolean)
    • Default Value: Fallback value if field is missing
  3. Click Save to add the custom field
  4. Map webhook data to the custom field using Mustache or CEL

Configure Advanced Mapping Conditions (Optional)​

Add CEL expression conditions to filter webhook payloads before creating alerts.

When to Use Conditions​

Use advanced mapping conditions when you need:

  • Payload-based routing: Only create alerts for specific payload content
  • Priority filtering: Only create alerts for high-priority events
  • Service filtering: Only process webhooks for specific services
  • Environment filtering: Only create alerts from production systems
  • Complex conditions: Combine multiple criteria with boolean logic

Add Filtering Conditions​

  1. Navigate to the Advanced Conditions section
  2. Click Add Condition
  3. Enter a CEL expression that evaluates to true/false
  4. Webhooks matching the condition create alerts; others are discarded

Example conditions:

// Only create alerts for production
webhook.environment == "production"

// High-priority alerts only
webhook.priority in ["P1", "P2"]

// Specific services
webhook.service.matches("^(payment|billing)-.*")

// Combined conditions
webhook.severity == "critical" && webhook.environment == "production"

Go to Use CEL in Webhooks for comprehensive filtering patterns.

Test the Webhook​

Verify your webhook configuration before deploying to production.

Step 1: Navigate to Test Tab​

Click the Test tab from the top navigation in the webhook configuration interface.

Step 2: Copy Test Command​

Copy the sample cURL command provided in the test interface:

curl -X POST 'https://app.harness.io/gateway/ir/tp/account/{account-id}/api/v1/mc/webhook/{webhook-id}' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
  "alert_name": "High CPU Usage",
  "severity": "critical",
  "service": "payment-api",
  "environment": "production",
  "message": "CPU usage exceeded 90% for 5 minutes",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-01T12:00:00Z"
}'

Step 3: Send Test Request​

  1. Paste the cURL command into your terminal
  2. Modify the payload to match your expected webhook structure
  3. Run the command to send a test webhook
  4. Verify the response indicates successful processing

Step 4: Verify Alert Creation​

  1. Navigate to Alerts in Harness AI SRE
  2. Verify a new alert was created from the test webhook
  3. Check that field mappings populated correctly:
    • Alert title matches expected value
    • Severity, service, environment are correct
    • Custom fields contain expected data

Step 5: Test with Email (Optional)​

To test the email trigger method:

  1. Send a test email to the webhook email address
  2. Use a descriptive subject line (maps to alert title)
  3. Include relevant details in the email body
  4. Verify an alert is created from the email

Best Practices​

Webhook Security​

Protect webhook URLs:

  • Keep webhook URLs confidential
  • Do not commit webhook URLs to version control
  • Use environment variables to store webhook URLs in applications
  • Rotate webhook URLs periodically if compromised

Monitor webhook usage:

  • Review webhook processing logs regularly
  • Set up alerts for webhook processing failures
  • Track webhook volume and patterns
  • Investigate unexpected webhook traffic

Use quiet mode:

  • Enable Quiet Mode during maintenance windows
  • Prevents alert creation during known maintenance
  • Re-enable after maintenance completes

Payload Design​

When designing webhook payloads from custom applications:

Include essential context:

  • Alert or event name/title
  • Severity or priority level
  • Affected service or application
  • Environment (production, staging, development)
  • Timestamp (ISO 8601 format recommended)
  • Correlation or incident ID

Use consistent field names:

  • Standardize field names across all webhooks
  • Use snake_case or camelCase consistently
  • Avoid special characters in field names
  • Document field meanings and expected values

Timestamps:

  • Always include timestamps
  • Use UTC timezone
  • Use ISO 8601 format: 2025-01-01T12:00:00Z
  • Include timezone offset if not UTC

Keep payloads concise:

  • Include only necessary data
  • Avoid deeply nested structures when possible
  • Use arrays for repeating data
  • Limit payload size to improve processing speed

Field Mapping​

Map essential fields:

  • Always map title, severity, and description
  • Map service and environment when available
  • Map timestamps for accurate alert timing
  • Map correlation IDs for alert grouping

Use default values:

  • Provide fallback values for optional fields
  • Use .orValue() in CEL expressions
  • Set sensible defaults in custom field configuration
  • Handle missing fields gracefully

Test with real payloads:

  • Use actual webhook data from your monitoring tools
  • Test with various payload variations
  • Verify nested field extraction works correctly
  • Test array handling if applicable

Error Handling​

Handle missing fields:

  • Use CEL .orValue() for optional fields
  • Provide default values in field configuration
  • Document which fields are required vs optional
  • Test with minimal payloads

Validate payload format:

  • Ensure webhook sends valid JSON
  • Check for required Content-Type headers
  • Verify payload structure matches mapping
  • Test with malformed payloads

Monitor webhook health:

  • Set up alerts for webhook processing failures
  • Review error logs regularly
  • Track success/failure rates
  • Investigate patterns in failures

Finalize Configuration​

Step 1: Review Configuration​

Before finalizing:

  1. Verify all required fields are mapped
  2. Test the webhook with sample payloads
  3. Confirm alerts are created correctly
  4. Review advanced conditions if configured

Step 2: Save Configuration​

  1. Click Save to finalize the webhook configuration
  2. The webhook is now active and ready to receive data

Step 3: Configure External System​

With your webhook URL ready:

  1. Navigate to your external monitoring tool, CI/CD system, or application
  2. Configure it to send webhooks to the Harness webhook URL
  3. Select which events should trigger webhooks
  4. Test the integration end-to-end

Go to Set Up External Systems for provider-specific configuration guides covering:

  • Datadog webhook configuration
  • PagerDuty webhook setup
  • Webhook template: Use for popular tools (Datadog, PagerDuty, Prometheus). Go to Browse Webhook Templates to see available templates.
  • Custom webhook: Use for custom applications, internal tools, or systems without a template. Follow the steps below to create a webhook with manual field mapping.
  • GitHub webhook configuration
  • And 20+ more tools

Troubleshooting​

Webhook Not Receiving Data​

Verify webhook URL:

  • Confirm correct URL is configured in external system
  • Check for typos or truncated URLs
  • Ensure no extra spaces or characters

Check integration status:

  • Verify integration is enabled (not in Quiet Mode)
  • Check that integration was saved successfully
  • Review integration settings for configuration errors

Network connectivity:

  • Verify external system can reach Harness endpoints
  • Check firewall rules and network policies
  • Test connectivity with cURL from the source system

Field Mapping Issues​

Missing fields in alerts:

  • Verify field paths match webhook payload structure
  • Check JSONPath expressions are correct
  • Test with actual webhook payloads
  • Review payload extraction logs

Incorrect field values:

  • Verify Mustache template syntax is correct
  • Check CEL expression logic
  • Test regex patterns with sample data
  • Confirm nested field paths use correct notation

Data type mismatches:

  • Ensure field types match expected formats
  • Convert data types with CEL expressions
  • Provide default values for optional fields
  • Test with various payload variations

Alerts Not Created​

Check advanced conditions:

  • Review CEL filtering conditions
  • Verify conditions evaluate to true for test payloads
  • Test conditions with actual webhook data
  • Temporarily remove conditions to isolate issue

Verify quiet mode:

  • Check if Quiet Mode is enabled
  • Disable Quiet Mode if not intentional
  • Review quiet mode schedule if configured

Review processing logs:

  • Check webhook processing logs for errors
  • Look for validation failures
  • Review field extraction errors
  • Investigate payload parsing issues

Next Steps​

Configure alert routing:

  • Go to Route Alerts to route and process incoming alerts based on service, severity, or custom fields.

Set up external systems:

  • Go to Set Up External Systems to configure Datadog, PagerDuty, Splunk, and 20+ other tools to send webhooks to Harness.

Advanced webhook features:

Browse templates: