Skip to main content

Configure External Systems to Send Webhooks

Last updated on

After creating a webhook integration in Harness AI SRE, configure your external monitoring tool, CI/CD system, or cloud platform to send webhook notifications to the unique webhook URL.

Overview​

This section provides step-by-step configuration guides for popular external systems. Each guide walks you through:

  1. Locating webhook settings in the external platform
  2. Configuring the webhook URL provided by Harness
  3. Selecting events and triggers to send
  4. Testing the integration to verify data flow
  5. Troubleshooting common configuration issues

How to use these guides​

Step 1: Create a webhook in Harness​

Before configuring the external system:

  1. Navigate to Integrations, then New Integration in Harness AI SRE.
  2. Select the appropriate webhook template for your tool.
  3. Copy the webhook URL displayed after saving.

Go to Ingest Alerts for detailed webhook creation steps.

Step 2: Configure the external system​

Use the relevant guide below to configure your external tool to send webhooks to Harness. Each guide provides:

  • Navigation paths to webhook settings in the external platform
  • Required configuration (URL, headers, authentication)
  • Event selection guidance
  • Payload examples showing what data is sent
  • Test procedures to verify the integration

Step 3: Verify alert creation​

After configuration:

  1. Trigger a test alert in the external system.
  2. Check that the alert appears in Harness AI SRE.
  3. Verify field mapping is correct.
  4. Review the alert timeline for any errors.

Available integration guides​

Monitoring and observability​

Detailed external setup guides are available for these monitoring platforms:

  • Datadog: Configure Datadog monitors to send alerts via webhook.
  • PagerDuty: Set up PagerDuty webhook extensions and V3 webhooks.
  • Prometheus (AlertManager): Configure AlertManager webhook receivers.
  • Grafana: Set up Grafana Unified Alerting contact points.
  • New Relic: Configure New Relic Applied Intelligence workflows.
  • Opsgenie: Set up Opsgenie outgoing webhook integrations.
  • Splunk: Configure Splunk alert actions to send webhooks.

Additional monitoring tools​

These tools have webhook templates in Harness but use standard webhook configuration (go to each tool's official documentation for details):

Cloud platforms​

Detailed external setup guides are available for these cloud platforms:

  • AWS CloudWatch: Configure CloudWatch alarms with SNS and HTTPS subscriptions.

CI/CD and development​

Detailed external setup guides are available for:

  • GitHub: Set up GitHub repository and organization webhooks.
  • GitLab: Configure GitLab project and group webhooks.

Additional CI/CD tools​

These tools have webhook templates in Harness but use standard webhook configuration:

ITSM and ticketing tools​

These tools have webhook templates in Harness but use standard webhook configuration:

For bidirectional synchronization with Jira and ServiceNow, also configure:

Common configuration patterns​

Basic webhook configuration​

Most tools follow this pattern:

  1. Webhook URL: Paste the Harness webhook URL.
  2. HTTP method: POST (default for most tools).
  3. Content-Type: application/json.
  4. Events: Select relevant events (alerts, incidents, deployments).
  5. Authentication: Usually none required (secret in URL path).

Advanced configuration​

Some platforms support:

  • Custom headers: Add authentication tokens or metadata.
  • Payload templates: Customize the JSON structure before sending.
  • Conditional triggers: Only send webhooks for specific conditions.
  • Batch delivery: Group multiple events in a single webhook.
  • Retry logic: Automatic retry on delivery failure.

Testing webhooks​

Always test webhook configuration:

  1. Trigger a test event in the external system.
  2. Check delivery logs in the external platform (if available).
  3. Verify alert creation in Harness AI SRE.
  4. Review field mapping to ensure correct data extraction.
  5. Check error logs if webhook delivery fails.

Troubleshooting common issues​

External system reports webhook delivery failure or timeout to Harness

Verify the webhook URL is exactly as provided by Harness with no extra spaces or characters, check network connectivity from the external system to Harness, ensure no firewall rules block outbound HTTPS traffic, and confirm the webhook is enabled and not in Quiet Mode.

Webhook delivery succeeds but alerts do not appear in Harness AI SRE

Confirm field mapping extracts required fields such as title and description, verify the payload structure matches the webhook template, review route alerts so alerts are not filtered out, confirm the correct template was selected, and check the webhook event log for parsing errors.

Alerts appear in Harness with missing or incorrect field mapping

Review the webhook payload structure in the external system, update JSONPath expressions in saved fields to match the payload, adjust Mustache templates in mapped fields, and test with sample payloads using the webhook test feature.

The same webhook alert appears multiple times in Harness

Confirm only one webhook integration is configured for the external system, review route alerts for duplicate routing, verify the external system is not sending duplicate webhook POSTs, and consider alert deduplication rules based on unique identifiers.

External system requires webhook authentication that is not configured

Most Harness webhooks do not require authentication because the secret is in the URL path. For a challenge response, contact Harness support. For SNS subscription confirmation with AWS CloudWatch, follow the CloudWatch guide, and confirm the webhook URL includes the secret key portion.

Best practices​

Configuration management​

Follow these practices to keep webhook configuration maintainable:

  • Document webhook URLs: Store webhook URLs securely (they contain secrets).
  • Use descriptive names: Name webhooks clearly in both systems.
  • Version control: Document webhook configurations in runbooks.
  • Test thoroughly: Always test before relying on webhooks in production.

Security​

Follow these practices to protect webhook secrets:

  • Protect webhook URLs: Treat webhook URLs as secrets (they contain authentication).
  • Rotate secrets: If a webhook URL is compromised, delete and recreate the integration.
  • Limit access: Only authorized users should access webhook configuration.
  • Use HTTPS: All Harness webhooks use HTTPS by default.

Maintenance​

Follow these practices to keep webhooks healthy over time:

  • Monitor webhook health: Check delivery success rates in external systems.
  • Update on platform changes: External system updates may change payload structure.
  • Clean up unused webhooks: Delete integrations that are no longer needed.
  • Document changes: Record any modifications to webhook configuration.

Performance​

Follow these practices to control webhook volume and load:

  • Batch when possible: Some tools support batching multiple events.
  • Set appropriate retry policies: Configure external system retry behavior.
  • Monitor volume: High-volume webhooks may require rate limiting.
  • Use filters: Only send relevant events to reduce noise.

Next steps​

Get started​

Advanced configuration​

Get help​

If you encounter issues not covered in these guides:

  • Go to the external system's official webhook documentation to confirm required settings.
  • Review the webhook event log in Harness for detailed error messages.
  • Contact Harness support with webhook delivery logs from both systems.