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Create and manage Kibana connectors for Slack, PagerDuty, Jira, webhooks, and more via REST API or Terraform. Use when configuring third-party integrations or managing connectors as code.
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Connectors store connection information for Elastic services and third-party systems. Alerting rules use connectors to
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Connectors store connection information for Elastic services and third-party systems. Alerting rules use connectors to route actions (notifications) when rule conditions are met. Connectors are managed per Kibana Space and can be shared across all rules within that space.
| Category | Connector Types |
|---|---|
| LLM Providers | OpenAI, Google Gemini, Amazon Bedrock, Elastic Managed LLMs, AI Connector, MCP (Preview, 9.3+) |
| Incident Management | PagerDuty, Opsgenie, ServiceNow (ITSM, SecOps, ITOM), Jira, Jira Service Management (9.2+), IBM Resilient, Swimlane, Torq, Tines, D3 Security, XSOAR (9.1+), TheHive |
| Endpoint Security | CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint |
| Messaging | Slack (API / Webhook), Microsoft Teams, Email |
| Logging & Observability | Server log, Index, Observability AI Assistant |
| Webhook | Webhook, Webhook - Case Management, xMatters |
| Elastic | Cases |
All connector API calls require API key auth or Basic auth. Every mutating request must include the kbn-xsrf header.
kbn-xsrf: true
Access to connectors is granted based on your privileges to alerting-enabled features. You need all privileges for
Actions and Connectors in Stack Management.
Base path: <kibana_url>/api/actions (or /s/<space_id>/api/actions for non-default spaces).
| Operation | Method | Endpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Create connector | POST | /api/actions/connector/{id} |
| Update connector | PUT | /api/actions/connector/{id} |
| Get connector | GET | /api/actions/connector/{id} |
| Delete connector | DELETE | /api/actions/connector/{id} |
| Get all connectors | GET | /api/actions/connectors |
| Get connector types | GET | /api/actions/connector_types |
| Run connector | POST | /api/actions/connector/{id}/_execute |
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | string | Display name for the connector |
connector_type_id | string | The connector type (e.g., .slack, .email, .webhook, .pagerduty, .jira) |
config | object | Type-specific configuration (non-secret settings) |
secrets | object | Type-specific secrets (API keys, passwords, tokens) |
curl -X POST "https://my-kibana:5601/api/actions/connector/my-slack-connector" \
-H "kbn-xsrf: true" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: ApiKey <your-api-key>" \
-d '{
"name": "Production Slack Alerts",
"connector_type_id": ".slack",
"config": {},
"secrets": {
"webhookUrl": "https://hooks.slack.com/services/T00/B00/XXXX"
}
}'
All connector types share the same request structure — only connector_type_id, config, and secrets differ. See the
Common Connector Type IDs table for available types and their required fields.
curl -X POST "https://my-kibana:5601/api/actions/connector/my-pagerduty" \
-H "kbn-xsrf: true" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: ApiKey <your-api-key>" \
-d '{
"name": "PagerDuty Incidents",
"connector_type_id": ".pagerduty",
"config": {
"apiUrl": "https://events.pagerduty.com/v2/enqueue"
},
"secrets": {
"routingKey": "your-pagerduty-integration-key"
}
}'
PUT /api/actions/connector/{id} replaces the full configuration. connector_type_id is immutable — delete and
recreate to change it.
# Get all connectors in the current space
curl -X GET "https://my-kibana:5601/api/actions/connectors" \
-H "Authorization: ApiKey <your-api-key>"
# Get available connector types
curl -X GET "https://my-kibana:5601/api/actions/connector_types" \
-H "Authorization: ApiKey <your-api-key>"
# Filter connector types by feature (e.g., only those supporting alerting)
curl -X GET "https://my-kibana:5601/api/actions/connector_types?feature_id=alerting" \
-H "Authorization: ApiKey <your-api-key>"
The GET /api/actions/connectors response includes referenced_by_count showing how many rules use each connector.
Always check this before deleting.
Execute a connector action directly, useful for testing connectivity.
curl -X POST "https://my-kibana:5601/api/actions/connector/my-slack-connector/_execute" \
-H "kbn-xsrf: true" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: ApiKey <your-api-key>" \
-d '{
"params": {
"message": "Test alert from API"
}
}'
curl -X DELETE "https://my-kibana:5601/api/actions/connector/my-slack-connector" \
-H "kbn-xsrf: true" \
-H "Authorization: ApiKey <your-api-key>"
Warning: Deleting a connector that is referenced by rules will cause those rule actions to fail silently. Check
referenced_by_count first.
Use the elasticstack provider resource elasticstack_kibana_action_connector.
terraform {
required_providers {
elasticstack = {
source = "elastic/elasticstack"
}
}
}
provider "elasticstack" {
kibana {
endpoints = ["https://my-kibana:5601"]
api_key = var.kibana_api_key
}
}
resource "elasticstack_kibana_action_connector" "slack" {
name = "Production Slack Alerts"
connector_type_id = ".slack"
config = jsonencode({})
secrets = jsonencode({
webhookUrl = "https://hooks.slack.com/services/T00/B00/XXXX"
})
}
resource "elasticstack_kibana_action_connector" "index" {
name = "Alert Index Writer"
connector_type_id = ".index"
config = jsonencode({
index = "alert-history"
executionTimeField = "@timestamp"
})
secrets = jsonencode({})
}
Key Terraform notes:
config and secrets must be JSON-encoded strings via jsonencode()terraform import elasticstack_kibana_action_connector.my_connector <space_id>/<connector_id> (use default for the
default space)For self-managed Kibana, connectors can be preconfigured in kibana.yml so they are available at startup without manual
creation:
xpack.actions.preconfigured:
my-slack-connector:
name: "Production Slack"
actionTypeId: .slack
secrets:
webhookUrl: "https://hooks.slack.com/services/T00/B00/XXXX"
my-webhook:
name: "Custom Webhook"
actionTypeId: .webhook
config:
url: "https://api.example.com/alerts"
method: post
hasAuth: true
secrets:
user: "alert-user"
password: "secret-password"
Preconfigured connectors cannot be edited or deleted via the API or UI. They show is_preconfigured: true and omit
config and is_missing_secrets from API responses.
Customize connector networking (proxies, TLS, certificates) via kibana.yml:
# Global proxy for all connectors
xpack.actions.proxyUrl: "https://proxy.example.com:8443"
# Per-host TLS settings
xpack.actions.customHostSettings:
- url: "https://api.example.com"
ssl:
verificationMode: full
certificateAuthoritiesFiles: ["/path/to/ca.pem"]
Connectors serve as the integration layer across multiple Kibana workflows, not just alerting notifications:
| Workflow | Connector Types | Key Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| ITSM ticketing | ServiceNow, Jira, IBM Resilient | Create ticket on active, close on Recovered |
| On-call escalation | PagerDuty, Opsgenie | trigger on active, resolve on Recovered; always set a deduplication key |
| Case management | Cases (system action) | UI-only; groups alerts into investigation Cases; can auto-push to ITSM |
| Messaging / awareness | Slack, Teams, Email | onActionGroupChange for incident channels; summaries for monitoring channels |
| Audit logging | Index | onActiveAlert to write full alert time-series to Elasticsearch |
| AI workflows | OpenAI, Bedrock, Gemini, AI Connector | Powers Elastic AI Assistant and Attack Discovery; system-managed |
| Custom integrations | Webhook | Generic HTTP outbound with Mustache-templated JSON body |
For detailed patterns, examples, and decision guidance for each workflow, see workflows.md.
Use preconfigured connectors for production on-prem. They eliminate secret sprawl, survive Saved Object imports, and cannot be accidentally deleted. Reserve API-created connectors for dynamic or user-managed scenarios.
Test connectors before attaching to rules. Use the _execute endpoint to verify connectivity. A misconfigured
connector causes silent action failures that only appear in the rule's execution history.
Check referenced_by_count before deleting. Deleting a connector used by active rules causes those actions to
fail. List connectors and verify zero references, or reassign rules to a new connector first.
Use the Email domain allowlist. The xpack.actions.email.domain_allowlist setting restricts which email domains
connectors can send to. If you update this list, existing email connectors with recipients outside the new list will
start failing.
Secure secrets in Terraform. Connector secrets (API keys, passwords, webhook URLs) are stored in Terraform state.
Use encrypted remote backends (S3+KMS, Azure Blob+encryption, GCS+CMEK) and restrict access to state files. Use
sensitive = true on variables.
One connector per service, not per rule. Create a single Slack connector and reference it from multiple rules. This centralizes secret rotation and reduces duplication.
Use Spaces for multi-tenant isolation. Connectors are scoped to a Kibana Space. Create separate spaces for different teams or environments and configure connectors per space.
Monitor connector health. Failed connector executions are logged in the event log index (.kibana-event-log-*).
Connector failures report as successful to Task Manager but fail silently for alert delivery. Check the
Event Log Index for true failure
rates.
Always configure a recovery action alongside the active action. Connectors for ITSM and on-call tools (ServiceNow, Jira, PagerDuty, Opsgenie) support a close/resolve operation. Without a recovery action, incidents remain open forever.
Use deduplication keys for on-call connectors. Set dedupKey (PagerDuty) or alias (Opsgenie) to
{{rule.id}}-{{alert.id}} to ensure the resolve event closes exactly the right incident. Without this, a new
incident is created every time the alert re-fires.
Prefer the Cases connector for investigation workflows. When an alert requires investigation with comments, attachments, and assignees, use Cases rather than a direct Jira/ServiceNow connector. Cases gives you a native investigation UI and can still push to ITSM via the Case's external connection.
Use the Index connector for durable audit trails. The Index connector writes to Elasticsearch, making alert history searchable and dashboardable. Pair it with an ILM policy on the target index to control retention.
Restrict connector access via Action settings. Use xpack.actions.enabledActionTypes to allowlist only the
connector types your organization needs, and xpack.actions.allowedHosts to restrict outbound connections to known
endpoints.
Missing kbn-xsrf header. All POST, PUT, DELETE requests require kbn-xsrf: true. Omitting it returns a 400
error.
Wrong connector_type_id. Use the exact string including the leading dot (e.g., .slack, not slack). Discover
valid types via GET /api/actions/connector_types.
Empty secrets object required. Even for connectors without secrets (e.g., .index, .server-log), you must
provide "secrets": {} in the create request.
Connector type is immutable. You cannot change the connector_type_id after creation. Delete and recreate
instead.
Secrets lost on export/import. Exporting connectors via Saved Objects strips secrets. After import, connectors
show is_missing_secrets: true and a "Fix" button appears in the UI. You must re-enter secrets manually or via API.
Preconfigured connectors cannot be modified via API. Attempting to update or delete a preconfigured connector
returns 400. Manage them exclusively in kibana.yml.
Rate limits from third-party services. Connectors that send high volumes of notifications (e.g., one per alert every minute) can hit Slack, PagerDuty, or email provider rate limits. Use alert summaries and action frequency controls on the rule side to reduce volume.
Connector networking failures. Kibana must be able to reach the connector's target URL. Verify firewall rules,
proxy settings, and DNS resolution. Use xpack.actions.customHostSettings for TLS issues.
License requirements. Some connector types require a Gold, Platinum, or Enterprise license. Check the
minimum_license_required field from GET /api/actions/connector_types. A connector that is
enabled_in_config: true but enabled_in_license: false cannot be used.
Terraform import does not restore secrets. When importing an existing connector into Terraform, the secrets are
not read back from Kibana. You must provide them in your Terraform configuration, or the next terraform apply will
overwrite them with empty values.
| Type ID | Name | License |
|---|---|---|
.email | Gold | |
.slack | Slack (Webhook) | Gold |
.slack_api | Slack (API) | Gold |
.pagerduty | PagerDuty | Gold |
.jira | Jira | Gold |
.servicenow | ServiceNow ITSM | Platinum |
.servicenow-sir | ServiceNow SecOps | Platinum |
.servicenow-itom | ServiceNow ITOM | Platinum |
.webhook | Webhook | Gold |
.index | Index | Basic |
.server-log | Server log | Basic |
.opsgenie | Opsgenie | Gold |
.teams | Microsoft Teams | Gold |
.gen-ai | OpenAI | Enterprise |
.bedrock | Amazon Bedrock | Enterprise |
.gemini | Google Gemini | Enterprise |
.cases | Cases | Platinum |
.crowdstrike | CrowdStrike | Enterprise |
.sentinelone | SentinelOne | Enterprise |
.microsoft_defender_endpoint | Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | Enterprise |
.thehive | TheHive | Gold |
Note: Use
GET /api/actions/connector_typesto discover all available types on your deployment along with their exactminimum_license_requiredvalues. Connector types for XSOAR, Jira Service Management, and MCP are available but may not appear in older API spec versions.
Create a Slack connector: "Set up Slack notifications for our alerts." POST /api/actions/connector with
connector_type_id: ".slack" and secrets.webhookUrl. Use the returned connector id in rule actions.
Test a connector before attaching to rules: "Verify the PagerDuty connector works."
POST /api/actions/connector/{id}/_execute with a minimal params object to confirm connectivity before adding to any
rule.
Audit connector usage before deletion: "Remove the old email connector." GET /api/actions/connectors, inspect
referenced_by_count — if non-zero, reassign the referencing rules first, then DELETE /api/actions/connector/{id}.
kbn-xsrf: true on every POST, PUT, and DELETE; omitting it returns 400.connector_type_id is immutable — delete and recreate to change connector type."secrets": {} even for connectors with no secrets (e.g., .index, .server-log).referenced_by_count before deleting; a deleted connector silently breaks all referencing rule actions./s/<space_id>/api/actions/ for non-default Kibana Spaces._execute before attaching to rules; connector failures in production are silent.