RSS feed subscriptions

Status page - RSS subscription.png

Access status page updates through an RSS feed. Add the feed to your RSS reader to stay informed without providing an e-mail 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 carries only what's posted on your status page:

  • Status reports and their status updates.
  • Maintenance announcements and their updates, including when the maintenance is completed.

Updates posted without Notify status page subscribers selected are in the feed too, since they show on your status page.

Want monitor incidents in the feed?

Turn on Automatic status page updates. Better Stack then posts a status update on your status page when one of its monitors, heartbeats, or integrations triggers an incident, and the feed includes it.

Each feed item includes:

  • Title describing the event
  • Full update message
  • Publication timestamp
  • Link to view details on the status page

Feed format

RSS 2.0 specification

Better Stack status pages use the RSS 2.0 format, compatible with all modern RSS readers. On your status page, Get updates β†’ RSS lists the feed at both /feed.rss and /feed.atom.

Sample feed structure

Example RSS feed
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>Status updates | Example Company</title>
    <description>Incidents and maintenance reported on status page for Example Company</description>
    <link>https://status.example.com/</link>

    <item>
      <title>Database connection issues</title>
      <description>The database connection issue has been resolved. All services are operational.</description>
      <link>https://status.example.com/incident/98765</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 11:45:00 -0000</pubDate>
      <guid>https://status.example.com/incident/98765#2d5189bb9c8867826893e51...</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Database connection issues</title>
      <description>We're investigating connection issues with the database affecting API responses.</description>
      <link>https://status.example.com/incident/98765</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:30:00 -0000</pubDate>
      <guid>https://status.example.com/incident/98765#cd34acb5687ee14a0c06b...</guid>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

Update frequency

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

  • Status reports are created, updated, or resolved.
  • Maintenance is scheduled, updated, or completed.

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 are the status report title, exactly as it appears on the status page. Maintenance titles start with Maintenance:, or with Scheduled maintenance: while the maintenance is still upcoming.

The feed's channel title is Status updates | Example Company, using your status page's company name.

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:

RFC 822 date example
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 that prevents duplicate entries in your RSS reader. The GUID is the incident URL followed by a unique hash anchor:

GUID example
https://status.example.com/incident/98765#2d5189bb...

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

Need help?

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