Alert Destination

Email Alerts

Deliver database audit alerts directly to email inboxes using SMTP or Amazon SES. Customizable HTML templates, multiple recipients, and optional digest batching.

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SMTP & SES Support

Use your existing SMTP server or Amazon SES for reliable, scalable email delivery.

HTML Templates

Rich HTML emails with color-coded severity, structured details, and action buttons.

Multiple Recipients

Send alerts to multiple recipients with optional CC and per-severity routing.

Configuration Reference

1 Connection Settings

Field Type Required Default Description
name string Yes - A unique name for this alert destination (e.g., "email-security-team")
provider select Yes email Alert provider - select "Email"
enabled boolean No true Enable or disable alert delivery
delivery_method select Yes - Email delivery method: "smtp" or "ses"

2a SMTP Settings (if delivery_method = smtp)

Field Type Required Default Description
smtp_host string Yes - SMTP server hostname (e.g., "smtp.gmail.com", "smtp.office365.com")
smtp_port number No 587 SMTP server port (25, 465, 587)
smtp_username string Yes - SMTP authentication username
smtp_password password Yes - SMTP authentication password or app password
smtp_encryption select No tls Encryption method: "none", "tls", "ssl"

2b Amazon SES Settings (if delivery_method = ses)

Field Type Required Default Description
aws_region string Yes - AWS region for SES (e.g., "us-east-1", "eu-west-1")
aws_access_key_id string Yes - AWS access key ID with SES permissions
aws_secret_access_key password Yes - AWS secret access key
configuration_set string No - SES configuration set name for tracking (optional)

3 Email Settings

Field Type Required Default Description
from_address string Yes - Sender email address (must be verified for SES)
from_name string No DB Audit Alerts Sender display name
to_addresses array Yes - Recipient email addresses (comma-separated)
cc_addresses array No - CC recipient email addresses
reply_to string No - Reply-to email address
subject_prefix string No [DB Audit] Prefix added to all email subjects

4 Alert Filtering

Field Type Required Default Description
severity_filter multiselect No all Alert severities to send: critical, high, medium, low, info
alert_types multiselect No all Alert types: policy_violation, anomaly_detection, threshold_breach, classification_alert
database_filter array No - Limit to specific databases (empty = all databases)

5 Delivery Settings

Field Type Required Default Description
rate_limit number No 30 Maximum emails per minute (1-100)
batch_alerts boolean No false Batch multiple alerts into digest emails
batch_interval_minutes number No 5 Digest interval when batching is enabled
retry_attempts number No 3 Number of retry attempts on failure

Setup Instructions

1

Choose Delivery Method

Select between SMTP and Amazon SES based on your infrastructure.

SMTP

  • Works with any email provider
  • Gmail, Office 365, SendGrid, etc.
  • Simpler setup for small volumes

Amazon SES

  • High deliverability and scalability
  • Cost-effective for large volumes
  • Delivery tracking with configuration sets
2

Test Email Delivery

Verify your credentials work before configuring DB Audit.

Test SMTP:

                    # Test SMTP connection with swaks
swaks --to test@example.com \
  --from alerts@yourdomain.com \
  --server smtp.gmail.com:587 \
  --auth LOGIN \
  --auth-user your-email@gmail.com \
  --auth-password "your-app-password" \
  --tls \
  --body "Test alert from DB Audit"

Test SES:

                    # Test SES with AWS CLI
aws ses send-email \
  --region us-east-1 \
  --from alerts@yourdomain.com \
  --to test@example.com \
  --subject "Test Alert" \
  --text "Test alert from DB Audit"
3

Configure in DB Audit

Add the email destination in the DB Audit dashboard.

  1. Navigate to Settings → Alert Destinations in DB Audit
  2. Click Add Destination
  3. Select Email as the provider
  4. Choose your delivery method (SMTP or SES)
  5. Enter your server/credentials and recipient addresses
  6. Configure filtering and delivery options
  7. Test the connection and save
4

Consider Digest Mode (Optional)

Enable batching to reduce email volume during high-activity periods.

Tip: Enable batch_alerts with a 5-minute interval to receive digest emails instead of individual alerts. This is especially useful for informational alerts.

Sample Alert Email

Alert emails include structured details and direct links to the DB Audit dashboard.

Plain Text Format

          Subject: [DB Audit] High Severity: Bulk Data Access Detected

----------------------------------------------
DB AUDIT SECURITY ALERT
----------------------------------------------

Alert Type: Policy Violation
Severity: HIGH
Time: January 15, 2024 10:30:45 UTC

----------------------------------------------
SUMMARY
----------------------------------------------

User accessed more than 10,000 rows in a single query from
the customers table, triggering the Bulk Data Access policy.

----------------------------------------------
DETAILS
----------------------------------------------

Database:     production-postgres
User:         app_user
Client IP:    10.0.1.50
Application:  backend-api
Query Type:   SELECT
Object:       public.customers
Rows:         15,000
Duration:     2.5 seconds

----------------------------------------------
POLICY
----------------------------------------------

Policy Name:  Bulk Data Access Policy
Policy ID:    policy_bulk_access
Threshold:    10,000 rows

----------------------------------------------

View in Dashboard:
https://app.dbaudit.ai/alerts/alert_abc123xyz

----------------------------------------------
This alert was sent by DB Audit
https://dbaudit.ai

Testing Your Integration

Test via Dashboard

  1. Go to Settings → Alert Destinations
  2. Find your Email destination
  3. Click the Test button
  4. Check your inbox for the test alert
  5. Also check spam/junk folders

Test via API

            curl -X POST \
  https://api.dbaudit.ai/v1/alerts/test \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"destination_id": "dest_abc123"}'

Troubleshooting

SMTP authentication failed

Check your username and password. For Gmail, you need an App Password, not your regular password.

  • Enable 2FA on your Google account
  • Generate an App Password at myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
  • Use the App Password in DB Audit configuration

SES emails bouncing or in spam

Ensure your sending domain and email addresses are properly verified.

  • Verify your domain in SES with DKIM records
  • Set up SPF records for your domain
  • Request production access if in sandbox mode

Connection timeout errors

The SMTP server may be unreachable from DB Audit's network.

  • Check firewall rules allow outbound SMTP traffic
  • Verify the correct port (587 for TLS, 465 for SSL)
  • Some hosting providers block port 25

Emails not arriving at all

Check the alert destination status and delivery logs in DB Audit.

  • View delivery logs at Settings → Alert Destinations → Logs
  • Check if the destination is enabled
  • Verify alert filters aren't blocking all alerts

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