Email alerts
Email is the simplest channel, and where most people start. PingArk sends a message when a check goes down and another when it recovers, each carrying the check name and your check description so whoever reads it has the context.
Prerequisites
Any email address you can receive mail at. There is no account or app to set up.
Setup
- In PingArk, open Channels and click Add channel.
- Pick Email and enter the address in the Email address field.
- Click Add and send verification. PingArk emails a confirmation link to that address.
- Open the email and click the link. The channel arms the moment it is verified.
Config fields
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Email address | The inbox that should receive down and recovery alerts. |
Verify before it can alert
Email must be verified before it can alert. PingArk emails a confirmation link to the address, and the channel stays disarmed until you click it. This is what stops anyone pointing alerts at an inbox they do not own. The premium phone channels do the same with a one-time code, while Slack, Discord, Telegram, webhook, and PagerDuty need no step at all, because holding the webhook URL or token is already proof. If the link does not arrive, check your spam folder, then use Resend link from the channel menu. Until it is verified the channel shows an unverified tag and its switch stays disabled.
The link is good for 30 days. Clicking it more than once is harmless, and so is a mail client that follows links for you: the first visit arms the channel, and any visit after that simply tells you it is already verified. If the link does expire before you get to it, use Resend link to send a fresh one.
What an alert looks like
A down alert names the check and why it fired, such as a missed deadline or an explicit failure ping. A recovery alert confirms the check is reporting again. Both include the check description when you have set one.
Troubleshooting
Send a test from the channel menu to confirm delivery. If the verification email does not arrive, check spam and resend it. If a real alert ever fails to send, the channel is flagged in the dashboard, so a silent inbox never hides a problem.
Which plans include which channels is on the pricing page.