Alert when a CI/CD pipeline fails

A failed build or deploy in the chat where your team already talks: add one step that runs only when the pipeline fails and sends the message to Telegram, Discord or Pushover.

You need a BugsRadar project with a channel and the project's API key: see the quick start. Keep the key in the secrets of your CI system, never in the repository. The link to the run in the message changes every time, but it doesn't make repeats look different: see repeats and grouping.

GitHub Actions

The last step of the job. Add the key as a repository secret named BUGSRADAR_KEY. if: failure() runs the step only when an earlier step of the job failed.

.github/workflows/deploy.yml

      # ... your build and deploy steps
      - name: Alert BugsRadar
        if: failure()
        env:
          BUGSRADAR_KEY: ${{ secrets.BUGSRADAR_KEY }}
        run: |
          curl -fsS --max-time 15 -H "X-Api-Key: $BUGSRADAR_KEY" \
            --data-binary "Deploy of $GITHUB_REPOSITORY failed: $GITHUB_SERVER_URL/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/actions/runs/$GITHUB_RUN_ID" \
            "https://api.bugsradar.com/api/v3/notify?category=GitHub+Actions&environment=Production"

Only for the main branch: if: failure() && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'.

GitLab CI/CD

A job in the built-in .post stage that runs when a job of an earlier stage fails. Add the key as a masked CI/CD variable named BUGSRADAR_KEY.

.gitlab-ci.yml

alert-bugsradar:
  stage: .post
  when: on_failure
  image:
    name: curlimages/curl:latest
    entrypoint: [""]
  script:
    - >
      curl -fsS --max-time 15 -H "X-Api-Key: $BUGSRADAR_KEY"
      --data-binary "Pipeline of $CI_PROJECT_PATH failed on $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME: $CI_PIPELINE_URL"
      "https://api.bugsradar.com/api/v3/notify?category=GitLab+CI"

Only for the default branch: replace when: on_failure with a rule.

.gitlab-ci.yml

  rules:
    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH
      when: on_failure

Azure Pipelines

The last step of the job. Add the key as a secret variable named BUGSRADAR_KEY; the $(…) syntax puts secret variables into the script.

azure-pipelines.yml

- script: >
    curl -fsS --max-time 15 -H "X-Api-Key: $(BUGSRADAR_KEY)"
    --data-binary "Pipeline $(Build.DefinitionName) failed: $(System.CollectionUri)$(System.TeamProject)/_build/results?buildId=$(Build.BuildId)"
    "https://api.bugsradar.com/api/v3/notify?category=Azure+Pipelines"
  displayName: Alert BugsRadar
  condition: failed()

Only for the main branch: condition: and(failed(), eq(variables['Build.SourceBranch'], 'refs/heads/main')).

Jenkins

The post section of a declarative pipeline. Add the key as a Secret text credential with the ID bugsradar-key. The script is in single quotes, so the key reaches the shell as a variable and never appears in the Groovy code.

Jenkinsfile

post {
    failure {
        withCredentials([string(credentialsId: 'bugsradar-key', variable: 'BUGSRADAR_KEY')]) {
            sh '''
                curl -fsS --max-time 15 -H "X-Api-Key: $BUGSRADAR_KEY" \
                  --data-binary "Build $JOB_NAME #$BUILD_NUMBER failed: $BUILD_URL" \
                  "https://api.bugsradar.com/api/v3/notify?category=Jenkins"
            '''
        }
    }
}

Report finished deploys

To see each release in the chat, send an information message when the deploy succeeds. In GitHub Actions:

.github/workflows/deploy.yml

      - name: Tell BugsRadar
        if: success()
        env:
          BUGSRADAR_KEY: ${{ secrets.BUGSRADAR_KEY }}
        run: |
          curl -fsS --max-time 15 -H "X-Api-Key: $BUGSRADAR_KEY" \
            --data-binary "Deployed $GITHUB_REPOSITORY at $GITHUB_SHA" \
            "https://api.bugsradar.com/api/v3/notify?category=GitHub+Actions&level=information"

It arrives with the level Information. The commit hash differs from deploy to deploy, so every deploy arrives as a message of its own.