Manage Alert Notification Silencing Rules

From the Cloud interface, you can manage your space's Alert notification silencing rules settings as well as allow users to define their personal ones.

Rule Hierarchy

flowchart TD
    Space("Space Level") --> Room("Room Level")
    Room --> Node("Node Level")
    Node --> Alert("Alert Level")
    
    Space --> SpaceRules("Space Silencing Rules
Affects All Users")
    Room --> RoomRules("Room-Specific Rules
Target Specific Teams")
    Node --> NodeRules("Node-Specific Rules
Individual Servers")
    Alert --> AlertRules("Alert-Specific Rules
Granular Control")
    
    %% Style definitions
    classDef alert fill:#ffeb3b,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:18px
    classDef neutral fill:#f9f9f9,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:18px
    classDef complete fill:#4caf50,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:18px
    classDef database fill:#2196F3,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:18px

    %% Apply styles
    class Space alert
    class Room,Node complete
    class Alert database
    class SpaceRules,RoomRules,NodeRules,AlertRules neutral

Decision Flowchart

flowchart TD
    Start("Need to Silence Alerts?") --> Scope("Who Should Be Affected?")
    
    Scope -->|"All Users"| SpaceRule("Create Space Rule
Admin/Manager Required")
    Scope -->|"Just Me"| PersonalRule("Create Personal Rule
Any Role Except Billing")
    
    SpaceRule --> Target("What to Target?")
    PersonalRule --> Target
    
    Target -->|"All Infrastructure"| AllNodes("All Rooms + All Nodes")
    Target -->|"Specific Team"| SpecificRoom("Target Specific Room")
    Target -->|"Individual Server"| SpecificNode("Target Specific Node")
    Target -->|"Alert Type"| SpecificAlert("Target Alert Context/Name")
    
    %% Style definitions
    classDef alert fill:#ffeb3b,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:18px
    classDef neutral fill:#f9f9f9,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:18px
    classDef complete fill:#4caf50,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:18px
    classDef database fill:#2196F3,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:18px

    %% Apply styles
    class Start alert
    class Scope,Target database
    class SpaceRule complete
    class PersonalRule complete
    class AllNodes,SpecificRoom,SpecificNode,SpecificAlert neutral

Prerequisites

To manage space-level silencing rules, you need:

• A Netdata Cloud account
• Access to Space as administrator or manager (troubleshooters can only view space rules)

To manage your personal silencing rules, you need:

• A Netdata Cloud account
• Access to Space with any role except billing

:::note

You can only add rules if your space is on a paid plan.

:::

Quick Access from Dashboard

You can also create silencing rules directly from the Alerts tab or Nodes tab:

• From Alerts tab: Use the "Actions" column to create new silencing rules for specific alerts
• From Nodes tab: Add alert silencing rules directly from any node row

Steps to Configure Silencing Rules

1. Click Space Settings (⚙️) on the left sidebar below the spaces list
2. Click the Alert & Notification tab on the left-hand side
3. Click the Notification Silencing Rules tab

You will see configured Alert notification silencing rules for the space (if you aren't an observer) and yourself.

Rule Configuration

Available Actions

Configuration Criteria

Rooms: Which Rooms will this apply to?

Nodes: What specific Nodes?

Host Labels: Does it apply to host labels key-value pairs?

Alert Name: Which alert name is being targeted?

Alert Context: What alert context?

Alert Role: Will it apply to a specific alert role?

Immediate: From now until turned off or until specific duration (start and end date automatically set).

Scheduled: Specify start and end time when the rule becomes active and inactive (time set according to your browser local timezone).

Step-by-Step Wizards for Common Use Cases

Use Case: Complete infrastructure maintenance affecting all users

Configuration Steps:

1. Choose "All users" (requires admin/manager role)
2. Set name: "Infrastructure Maintenance [Date]"
3. Node Criteria:
   • Rooms: All Rooms
   • Nodes: *
   • Host Labels: *
4. Alert Criteria:
   • Alert Name: *
   • Alert Context: *
   • Alert Role: *
5. Timing: Scheduled with maintenance window start/end times

Validation Checklist:

• Admin/Manager permissions confirmed.
• All rooms and nodes are targeted (*).
• Maintenance window times are set correctly.
• Rule name includes a date for easy reference.

Use Case: Database team doesn't want notifications for their managed servers.

Configuration Steps:

1. Choose "All users" (for team-wide effect)
2. Set name: "DB Team - PostgreSQL Servers"
3. Node Criteria:
   • Rooms: PostgreSQL Servers
   • Nodes: *
   • Host Labels: *
4. Alert Criteria:
   • Alert Name: *
   • Alert Context: *
   • Alert Role: *
5. Timing: Immediate (ongoing)

Validation Checklist:

• Correct room selected (not "All Rooms")
• Team members have access to the specified room
• Rule name clearly identifies team and scope

Use Case: Specific server undergoing maintenance

Configuration Steps:

1. Choose "All users" or "Myself" based on impact
2. Set name: "Node Maintenance - [NodeName]"
3. Node Criteria:
   • Rooms: All Rooms
   • Nodes: [specific node name]
   • Host Labels: *
4. Alert Criteria:
   • Alert Name: *
   • Alert Context: *
   • Alert Role: *
5. Timing: Scheduled with the maintenance window

Validation Checklist:

• Exact node name specified correctly
• Maintenance window times confirmed
• Other team members are notified if using "All users"

Use Case: Planned stress testing that will trigger CPU alerts

Configuration Steps:

1. Choose the appropriate scope ("All users" or "Myself")
2. Set the name: "Load Testing - CPU Alerts"
3. Node Criteria:
   • Rooms: [testing environment rooms]
   • Nodes: * (or specific test nodes)
   • Host Labels: environment:testing (if applicable)
4. Alert Criteria:
   • Alert Name: *
   • Alert Context: system.cpu
   • Alert Role: *
5. Timing: Scheduled for the testing period

:::tip

Validation Checklist:

• Correct alert context specified (system.cpu)
• Testing environment properly targeted
• Testing timeframe accurately set
• Production systems excluded

:::

Rule Validation Checklist

:::tip

Before activating any silencing rule, verify:

:::

Common Silencing Scenarios

Detailed Examples Reference