# Alerts & notifications (/docs/alerts)

> How ServerMetry alert rules, severities, and notification channels work.



## Alert rules [#alert-rules]

Alert rules evaluate metrics (and related conditions) against thresholds. You can create:

* **Global rules** — apply across the organization
* **Server-specific rules** — override or extend for one host
* **Template rules** — reused when applying a template to servers

Typical fields:

| Field             | Meaning                              |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Metric            | e.g. `cpuUsagePercent`, disk, memory |
| Operator          | GT, LT, …                            |
| Threshold         | Numeric limit                        |
| Severity          | `WARNING` or `CRITICAL`              |
| Evaluation window | How long the condition must hold     |

Manage rules under **Alert Rules** in the dashboard, or via [MCP](/docs/mcp) / the REST API.

## Alert lifecycle [#alert-lifecycle]

1. Condition matches → alert opens
2. Notifications fire on configured channels
3. Condition clears or you resolve the alert → alert closes

Open alerts appear on the dashboard and on the server detail page.

## Notification channels [#notification-channels]

Configure channels under **Notifications** (email, webhooks, and other integrations depending on your plan). Channels can be global or scoped. Test a channel from the UI before relying on it in production.

## Maintenance windows [#maintenance-windows]

During a maintenance window, alerting for the covered servers can be suppressed so planned work does not page the team. Create windows under **Maintenance**.

## Digests [#digests]

Organizations can enable alert digests (frequency configurable in organization settings) for a summarized view instead of only real-time noise.