Automations

Automations are the core of the NaaS Portal. They define when and how your circuit bandwidth should change, with a 3-tier execution model: Trigger → Action → Notifier.

Automation Architecture

Every automation follows a decision tree structure with three tiers:

TIER 1

Trigger

Decision logic

Returns: true/false

true/false

TIER 2

Action

Side effects

Routes: success/failure

result

TIER 3

Notifier

Terminal reporting

End of chain

Execution Flow

Trigger executes

Returns true or false based on conditions

Action path executes

true → onSuccess action branch

false → onFailure action branch

Action performs bandwidth changes

Or no-op if configured as "No Action"

Notifier executes based on result

No exception → onSuccess notifier

Exception thrown → onFailure notifier

Execution completes

Notification sent and results logged to Events

Trigger Types

Triggers determine when an automation runs and which path to take. Each trigger type has two states that route to different actions.

Schedule Trigger

Execute based on a recurring schedule with configurable days and times.

Schedule Trigger

Configuration

• Days: Select one or more days (Sun-Sat)
• Start Time: When to trigger the "start" state
• End Time: When to trigger the "end" state
• Timezone: Your local timezone for scheduling

States

true "Start Time" - Schedule begins

false "End Time" - Schedule ends

Use cases:

Business hours bandwidth boost (9am-6pm weekdays)
Weekend maintenance windows
Peak/off-peak pricing optimization

Monitor Trigger

Execute based on host availability (ping monitoring).

Monitor Trigger

Configuration

• Host: IP address or hostname to ping
• Retries: Number of ping attempts (1-10)
• Timeout: Max wait per ping (1-30 seconds)
• Interval: Time between checks

States

true "Host Down" - Outage detected

false "Host Up" - Recovery detected

Use cases:

Failover bandwidth when primary host goes down
Automatic recovery when service comes back online
Load balancing based on server availability

Webhook Trigger

Execute when an external HTTP request is received.

Webhook Trigger

Configuration

• Webhook ID: Auto-generated UUID
• URL Format: /api/webhooks/{webhookId}/{path}
• Method: HTTP POST

States

true Path ends with /success

false Path ends with /failure

Use cases:

CI/CD pipeline triggers (deployment events)
Integration with external monitoring systems
Manual triggering via API call

Webhook Security: The webhook URL includes a random UUID that acts as a shared secret. Keep this URL private and regenerate if compromised.

One-Time Trigger

Execute once at a specific date and time.

One-Time Trigger

Configuration

• Start DateTime: When to trigger "start"
• End DateTime: When to trigger "end"
• Timezone: Your local timezone

States

true "Start Time" reached

false "End Time" reached

Use cases:

Scheduled maintenance windows
One-off events (product launches, streaming events)
Temporary bandwidth increases for specific occasions

Action Types

Actions perform the actual bandwidth changes. Each trigger state can have its own action configuration.

Bandwidth Action

The primary action type that modifies circuit bandwidth.

Bandwidth Action

Configuration

• Circuit Selection: Choose specific circuits or use tags
• Bandwidth Value: Target bandwidth amount
• Unit: Kbps, Mbps, or Gbps

Behavior

• Respects circuit priority ordering
• Skips circuits with manual overrides
• Updates circuit state to ALTERED
• Logs execution details to Events

No Action

A placeholder action that does nothing. Useful when you only want to notify without making bandwidth changes on one of the trigger paths.

Notifier Types

Notifiers send notifications about automation execution results. Configure your notifier credentials in Account → Notifiers first.

Postmark Email

Send email notifications via Postmark.

Postmark Notifier

Setup (in Account → Notifiers)

• Server Token: Your Postmark server token
• Sender Email: Verified sender address

Per-Automation Config

• Recipients: Email addresses (semicolon-separated)
• Uses account email if not specified

Slack

Send notifications to a Slack channel via incoming webhook.

Slack Notifier

Setup (in Account → Notifiers)

• Webhook URL: Slack incoming webhook URL
• Messages use Block Kit formatting with status emoji

Microsoft Teams

Send notifications to a Teams channel via incoming webhook.

Teams Notifier

Setup (in Account → Notifiers)

• Webhook URL: Teams incoming webhook URL
• Messages use Adaptive Card format with theme colors

Managing Automations

Creating an Automation

Navigate to Automations from the sidebar

Click Create Automation

Enter a descriptive name for the automation

Configure the trigger type and its settings

Configure actions for each trigger state (true/false paths)

Optionally configure notifiers for success/failure

Click Save

Note: New automations are created in a disabled state. Toggle the power icon to enable them.

Enabling/Disabling

Click the power icon on an automation card to toggle its enabled state. Disabled automations won't execute their triggers.

Manual Triggering

For testing or emergency situations, you can manually trigger an automation:

Click the play icon on the automation card

Select which state to trigger (true or false)

The automation will execute immediately with the selected state

Editing an Automation

Click on an automation card or its edit button

Modify the desired settings

Click Save to apply changes

Deleting an Automation

Click the trash icon on the automation card

Confirm the deletion in the modal

Automation States

Idle

Waiting for trigger conditions

Scheduled

Trigger time approaching

Active

Currently executing

Best Practices

Automation Best Practices

Naming Conventions

• Use descriptive names: "Peak Hours - Production"
• Include the trigger type: "Schedule: Business Hours"
• Add environment prefix: "[PROD] Failover Monitor"

Testing

• Test with manual triggers before enabling
• Start with non-production circuits
• Review Events log after first execution
• Set up notifications during testing phase

Troubleshooting

Automation not triggering

Verify the automation is enabled (power icon should be green)
Check that trigger conditions are correctly configured
For schedules, verify the timezone is correct
Review the Events page for any error messages

Action skipped due to priority

This occurs when a higher-priority automation is controlling the circuit:

Check the circuit's priority list to see which automation has control
Wait for the higher-priority automation to release control
Adjust priorities if the current ordering is incorrect

Notifications not sending

Verify notifier configuration in Account → Notifiers
Check that webhook URLs are valid and accessible
For Postmark, verify your server token and sender email
Review the Events page for notifier error details

Circuit shows override active

Manual overrides block all automation control:

Go to the Circuits page and find the circuit
Click the lock icon and choose "Clear Override"
Automations will resume control automatically