Zerobyte
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Zerobyte

Notifications

Create notification destinations, route backup events, and choose the right delivery type

Zerobyte's notification system has two layers:

  1. A destination is a reusable delivery channel such as Slack, SMTP, ntfy, or a webhook.
  2. A backup schedule assignment decides which events should be sent to which destination.

You create destinations under Notifications. You route them per backup schedule from the backup details page.

How notifications work in Zerobyte

  • Destinations are organization-scoped.
  • Sensitive destination fields are encrypted before storage.
  • Disabled destinations stay saved, but Zerobyte skips them when sending notifications.
  • The Test button sends a generic test message for that destination.
  • Per-schedule routing supports four events: start, success, warning, and failure.

Create destinations once, then reuse them across as many backup schedules as you want.

Supported destination types

TypeBest forKey fields
Email (SMTP)Existing mail infrastructure, multiple recipients, ticketing aliasesSMTP host, port, sender, recipients, optional auth, TLS
SlackTeam chat channelsWebhook URL, optional bot username, optional icon emoji
DiscordServer channels or threadsWebhook URL, optional username, optional avatar URL, optional thread ID
GotifySelf-hosted mobile or desktop pushServer URL, app token, priority, optional path
ntfyLightweight publish-subscribe notificationsTopic, optional server URL, optional auth, priority
PushoverPersonal mobile alertsUser key, API token, optional devices, priority
TelegramGroup or direct chat notificationsBot token, chat ID, optional thread ID
Generic WebhookArbitrary HTTP endpoints and automation systemsURL, method, headers, content type, optional JSON template keys
Custom (Shoutrrr URL)Power users or services not exposed by the built-in formsRaw Shoutrrr URL

Which type should I use?

  • Choose Email when you already trust an SMTP relay and want easy fan-out to multiple recipients.
  • Choose Slack or Discord when backup events belong in a shared team room.
  • Choose Gotify or ntfy when you prefer self-hosted push.
  • Choose Pushover or Telegram when you want fast personal alerts on a phone.
  • Choose Generic Webhook when another system expects a normal HTTP request.
  • Choose Custom (Shoutrrr URL) when the built-in types are close but not flexible enough, or when you need a different Shoutrrr-supported service entirely.

Create a destination

  1. Open Notifications in the sidebar.
  2. Click Create Destination.
  3. Pick the notification type.
  4. Fill in the type-specific settings.
  5. Save the destination.
  6. Open the destination and use Test before attaching it to production schedules.

The type is effectively fixed after creation in the current UI, so create a new destination instead of trying to repurpose an existing one from Slack to Email or similar.

Route notifications per backup schedule

  1. Open the backup schedule you want to configure.
  2. In the Notifications section, click Add notification.
  3. Select an existing destination.
  4. Choose which events should trigger that destination.
  5. Save the backup schedule notification settings.

Each assignment is independent. One schedule can send failures to Email, warnings to Slack, and successes nowhere.

Backup event meanings

EventWhen Zerobyte sends itWhat is included
startThe backup begins runningVolume name, repository name, and schedule name
successThe backup completes cleanlyVolume, repository, schedule, and backup summary details when available
warningThe backup completes with warnings instead of a clean successSuccess details plus warning text when available
failureThe backup fails validation or executionVolume, repository, schedule, and the error text

Type reference

Use Email when you want alerts to go to people, shared mailboxes, or downstream systems that already process email.

Fields

  • SMTP Host
  • SMTP Port
  • Username and Password (optional)
  • From Address
  • From Name (optional)
  • To Addresses
  • Use TLS

Notes

  • To Addresses is a comma-separated list in the UI.
  • TLS is a simple yes or no toggle.
  • SMTP authentication is optional because some relays accept trusted network senders.

Example

Type: Email (SMTP)
SMTP Host: smtp.example.com
SMTP Port: 587
Username: alerts@example.com
Password: <smtp-password>
From Address: alerts@example.com
From Name: Zerobyte Alerts
To Addresses: ops@example.com, backups@example.com
Use TLS: On

Use Slack for shared operational visibility in a team channel.

Fields

  • Webhook URL
  • Bot Username (optional)
  • Icon Emoji (optional)

Example

Type: Slack
Webhook URL: https://hooks.slack.com/services/T00000000/B00000000/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Bot Username: Zerobyte
Icon Emoji: :floppy_disk:

Use Discord when your team lives in a server channel, or when you want to post to a specific thread.

Fields

  • Webhook URL
  • Bot Username (optional)
  • Avatar URL (optional)
  • Thread ID (optional)

Use Gotify when you want self-hosted push with explicit priority control.

Fields

  • Server URL
  • App Token
  • Priority from 0 to 10
  • Path (optional)

Use ntfy when you want a simple topic-based push service, either on ntfy.sh or your own server.

Fields

  • Server URL (optional, leave empty for ntfy.sh)
  • Topic
  • Username and Password (optional)
  • Access token (optional)
  • Priority

Notes

  • If you set an access token, it takes precedence over username and password.
  • Priority values are max, high, default, low, and min.

Example

Type: Ntfy
Server URL: https://ntfy.example.com
Topic: zerobyte-backups
Access token: <token>
Priority: high

Use Pushover for direct, personal push notifications.

Fields

  • User Key
  • API Token
  • Devices (optional)
  • Priority as -1, 0, or 1

Use Telegram when you want notifications in a bot chat or a group topic.

Fields

  • Bot Token
  • Chat ID
  • Thread ID (optional)

Example

Type: Telegram
Bot Token: 123456789:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11
Chat ID: -1231234567890
Thread ID: 3

Use Generic Webhook when another service expects a normal HTTP request instead of a provider-specific webhook format.

Fields

  • Webhook URL
  • Method as GET or POST
  • Content Type
  • Headers
  • Use JSON Template
  • Title Key and Message Key when JSON mode is enabled

Notes

  • Headers are entered one per line as Key: Value.
  • With JSON mode enabled, Zerobyte sends a body shaped like {titleKey: "...", messageKey: "..."}.
  • With JSON mode disabled, the request body is plain notification text.

Example

Type: Generic Webhook
Webhook URL: https://hooks.example.com/backup-events
Method: POST
Content Type: application/json
Headers:
Authorization: Bearer <token>
X-Source: zerobyte
Use JSON Template: On
Title Key: title
Message Key: message

Use Custom when you already know the exact Shoutrrr URL you want Zerobyte to use.

See the Shoutrrr documentation for the supported URL formats and service-specific options.

Fields

  • Shoutrrr URL

Example

slack://hook:T000-B000-XXX@webhook?username=Zerobyte

Practical routing patterns

GoalSuggested routing
Only wake someone up for real problemsfailure to Email or Pushover
Keep the team informed without noisewarning and failure to Slack or Discord
Audit every runstart, success, warning, and failure to Email or Generic Webhook
Mobile-first personal alertingfailure to Telegram, ntfy, Gotify, or Pushover
Feed another incident or workflow systemfailure and optionally warning to Generic Webhook

Restoring Data

Restore files and folders from snapshots, choose the right destination, and avoid common restore pitfalls

Recovery Keys

Understand the organization recovery key, imported repositories, and custom repository passwords

On this page

How notifications work in Zerobyte
Supported destination types
Which type should I use?
Create a destination
Route notifications per backup schedule
Backup event meanings
Type reference
Practical routing patterns
Related docs