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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dbdock.xyz/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Slack alerts use incoming webhooks — the simplest Slack integration. No app installation required for the user side; just a webhook URL.

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Setup

1

Create a Slack app

Go to api.slack.com/apps and click Create New App → From scratch. Name it “DBdock” (or whatever you like) and pick your workspace.
2

Enable incoming webhooks

In the app settings, go to Incoming Webhooks and toggle it on.
3

Add the webhook to a channel

Click Add New Webhook to Workspace. Pick the channel where alerts should post (e.g. #backups or #ops-alerts). Slack generates a webhook URL.
4

Copy the URL

The URL looks like https://hooks.slack.com/services/T.../B.../.... Copy it.

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Configuration

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dbdock.config.json

{
  "alerts": {
    "slack": {
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

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.env

DBDOCK_SLACK_WEBHOOK=https://hooks.slack.com/services/T.../B.../...
Alternatively, set the webhook in the config (less recommended): 
{
  "alerts": {
    "slack": {
      "enabled": true,
      "webhookUrl": "https://hooks.slack.com/services/T.../B.../..."
    }
  }
}
The .env approach is preferred — keeps the URL out of version control.

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Message format

Slack messages look like:

Success

✓ Backup complete Database: myapp Size: 45.2 MB (compressed) Duration: 8.4s Storage: s3://my-backups/dbdock_backups/backup-...sql

Failure

✗ Backup failed Database: myapp Error: Connection timeout Timestamp: 2026-04-16 08:00:02 Tip: Check database is reachable from the runner

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Testing

npx dbdock test
Sends a test message to the channel. Verify it arrives and looks right.

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Routing

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Alerting strategy

  • #backups — all events (success + failure)
  • #ops-alerts — failures only (separate webhook, separate app instance)
DBdock supports one webhook per environment. For multiple channels, run separate DBdock configs (dev, staging, prod) with different webhook URLs.

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Channel permissions

The webhook can only post to the channel it was created for. To change channels, create a new webhook and update DBDOCK_SLACK_WEBHOOK.

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Common issues

Webhook URL is correct but Slack rejected the message. Usually a transient issue — retry.
The channel was deleted, or the webhook was revoked. Recreate the webhook.
If you see raw JSON or unformatted text, your Slack workspace may have legacy incoming webhooks (pre-2019). Recreate the app from scratch.

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Security

  • The webhook URL is a secret — anyone with it can post to the channel
  • Store it in .env, never commit it
  • Rotate webhooks periodically (Slack dashboard → Incoming Webhooks → regenerate)
  • If accidentally committed, revoke it immediately

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See also

Email alerts

SMTP-based alerts.

Custom webhooks

Discord, Teams, and custom endpoints.