RSS feed subscriptions

Status page subscriptions - RSS.png

Access status page updates through an RSS feed. Add the feed to your RSS reader to stay informed without providing an email address or setting up webhooks.

Access the RSS feed

Add /feed.rss to the end of any status page URL:

RSS feed URL format
https://status.example.com/feed.rss

Copy this URL and add it to your RSS reader.

What's included in the feed

The RSS feed contains:

  • New incidents - When incidents are created
  • Incident updates - Status changes and update messages
  • Scheduled maintenance - Upcoming maintenance windows
  • Maintenance updates - Changes to maintenance schedules
  • Resolved incidents - When issues are fixed

Each feed item includes:

  • Title describing the event
  • Full update message
  • Publication timestamp
  • Link to view details on the status page
  • Affected components (when applicable)

Feed format

RSS 2.0 specification

Better Stack status pages use the RSS 2.0 format, compatible with all modern RSS readers.

Sample feed structure

Example RSS feed
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>Example Company Status</title>
    <description>Status updates for Example Company services</description>
    <link>https://status.example.com</link>
    <lastBuildDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:30:00 +0000</lastBuildDate>

    <item>
      <title>[Resolved] Database Connection Issues</title>
      <description>The database connection issue has been resolved. All services are operational.</description>
      <link>https://status.example.com/incidents/98765</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 11:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>https://status.example.com/incidents/98765#update-11111</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>[Investigating] Database Connection Issues</title>
      <description>We're investigating connection issues with the database affecting API responses.</description>
      <link>https://status.example.com/incidents/98765</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>https://status.example.com/incidents/98765#update-11110</guid>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

Update frequency

RSS feeds are generated dynamically and reflect the current state of your status page. Updates appear immediately when:

  • New incidents are created
  • Updates are posted to existing incidents
  • Maintenance windows are scheduled or modified
  • Incidents are resolved

Your RSS reader's refresh interval determines how quickly you see updates. Most readers check feeds every 15-30 minutes by default.

Feed item structure

Title format

Feed item titles follow these patterns:

Incidents: - [Investigating] Service Name - Brief description - [Identified] Service Name - Brief description - [Monitoring] Service Name - Brief description - [Resolved] Service Name - Brief description

Maintenance: - [Scheduled] Maintenance title - Date and time - [In Progress] Maintenance title - [Completed] Maintenance title

Description content

The description contains the full update message exactly as posted on the status page, including:

  • Markdown formatting converted to HTML
  • Links to relevant resources
  • Technical details and timelines
  • Impact assessment

Publication dates

All dates use RFC 822 format with timezone information:

 
Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:30:00 +0000

Dates are always in UTC (GMT) regardless of your status page's timezone setting.

Unique identifiers

Each feed item has a unique GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) combining:

  • Incident or maintenance ID
  • Update ID

This prevents duplicate entries if an update is modified after publication.

RSS feeds include all status page updates. To receive updates for specific components only, use email subscriptions instead.

Need help?

Please let us know at hello@betterstack.com. We're happy to help! 🙏