--- title: "Configure Alertmanagers | Grafana documentation" description: "Learn about Alertmanagers and set up Alerting to use other Alertmanagers" --- # Configure Alertmanagers Grafana Alerting is based on the architecture of the Prometheus alerting system. Grafana sends firing and resolved alerts to an Alertmanager, which is responsible for [handling notifications](/docs/grafana/latest/alerting/fundamentals/notifications/). This architecture decouples alert rule evaluation from notification handling, improving scalability. [](/media/docs/alerting/alerting-alertmanager-architecture.png) Grafana includes a built-in **Grafana Alertmanager** to handle notifications. This guide shows you how to: - Use different [types of Alertmanagers](#types-of-alertmanagers-in-grafana) with Grafana - [Add other Alertmanager](#add-an-alertmanager) and [enable it to receive all Grafana-managed alerts](#enable-an-alertmanager-to-receive-grafana-managed-alerts) - Use an [Alertmanager as a contact point]() to route specific alerts ## Alertmanager resources It’s important to note that each Alertmanager manages its own independent alerting resources, such as: - Contact points and notification templates - Notification policies and mute timings - Silences - Active notifications Use the `Choose Alertmanager` dropdown on these pages to switch between Alertmanagers and view or manage their resources. [](/media/docs/alerting/alerting-choose-alertmanager.png) ## Types of Alertmanagers in Grafana Grafana can be configured to handle alert notifications using various Alertmanagers. - **Grafana Alertmanager**: Grafana includes a built-in Alertmanager that extends the [Prometheus Alertmanager](https://prometheus.io/docs/alerting/latest/alertmanager/). This is the default Alertmanager and is referred to as “Grafana” in the user interface. It can only handle Grafana-managed alerts. - **Cloud Alertmanager**: Each Grafana Cloud instance comes preconfigured with an additional Alertmanager (`grafanacloud-STACK_NAME-ngalertmanager`) from the Mimir (Prometheus) instance running in the Grafana Cloud Stack. The Cloud Alertmanager is available exclusively in Grafana Cloud and can handle both Grafana-managed and data source-managed alerts. - **Other Alertmanagers**: Grafana Alerting also supports sending alerts to other Alertmanagers, such as the [Prometheus Alertmanager](https://prometheus.io/docs/alerting/latest/alertmanager/), which can handle both Grafana-managed and data source-managed alerts. Grafana Alerting supports using a combination of Alertmanagers and can [enable other Alertmanagers to receive Grafana-managed alerts](#enable-an-alertmanager-to-receive-grafana-managed-alerts). The decision often depends on your alerting setup and where your alerts are generated. For example, if you already have an Alertmanager running in your on-premises or cloud infrastructure to handle Prometheus alerts, you can forward Grafana-managed alerts to the same Alertmanager for unified notification handling. ## Add an Alertmanager Alertmanagers should be configured as data sources using Grafana Configuration from the main Grafana navigation menu. To add an Alertmanager, complete the following steps. 1. Click **Connections** in the left-side menu. 2. Under Your connections, click **Data sources**. 3. Enter `Alertmanager` in the search bar. 4. Click **Alertmanager**. The **Settings** tab of the data source is displayed. 5. Set the data source’s basic configuration options: Expand table | Name | Description | |---------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | **Name** | Sets the name you use to refer to the data source | | **Default** | Sets whether the data source is pre-selected for new panels and queries | | **Alertmanager Implementation** | Alertmanager implementation. **Mimir**, **Cortex,** and **Prometheus** are supported | | **Receive Grafana Alerts** | When enabled, the Alertmanager can receive Grafana-managed alerts. **Important:** This works only if receiving alerts is enabled for the Alertmanager in the Grafana Alerting Settings page | | **HTTP URL** | Sets the HTTP protocol, IP, and port of your Alertmanager instance, such as `https://alertmanager.example.org:9093` | | **Access** | Only **Server** access mode is functional | For provisioning instructions, refer to the [Alertmanager data source documentation](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/alertmanager/). After adding an Alertmanager, you can use the Grafana Alerting UI to manage notification policies, contact points, silences, and other alerting resources from within Grafana. > Note > > When using Prometheus, you can manage silences in the Grafana Alerting UI. However, other Alertmanager resources such as contact points, notification policies, and templates are read-only because the Prometheus Alertmanager HTTP API does not support updates for these resources. When using multiple Alertmanagers, use the `Choose Alertmanager` dropdown to switch between Alertmanagers. ## Enable an Alertmanager to receive Grafana-managed alerts After enabling **Receive Grafana Alerts** in the Data Source Settings, you must also configure the Alertmanager in the Alerting Settings page. Grafana supports enabling one or multiple Alertmanagers to receive all generated Grafana-managed alerts. 1. In the left-side menu, click **Alerts & IRM** and then **Alerting**. 2. Click **Settings** to view the list of configured Alertmanagers. 3. For the selected Alertmanager, click the **Enable/Disable** button to toggle receiving Grafana-managed alerts. When activated, the Alertmanager displays `Receiving Grafana-managed alerts`. [](/media/docs/alerting/grafana-alerting-settings.png) All Grafana-managed alerts are forwarded to Alertmanagers marked as `Receiving Grafana-managed alerts`. > Note > > Grafana Alerting does not support forwarding Grafana-managed alerts to the AlertManager in Amazon Managed Service for Prometheus. For more details, refer to [this GitHub issue](https://github.com/grafana/grafana/issues/64064). ## Use an Alertmanager as a contact point to receive specific alerts The previous instructions enable sending **all** Grafana-managed alerts to an Alertmanager. To send **specific** alerts to an Alertmanager, configure the Alertmanager as a contact point. You can then assign this contact point to notification policies or individual alert rules. For detailed instructions, refer to: - [Alertmanager contact point](/docs/grafana/latest/alerting/configure-notifications/manage-contact-points/integrations/configure-alertmanager/) - [Configure Grafana-managed alert rules](/docs/grafana/latest/alerting/alerting-rules/create-grafana-managed-rule/#configure-notifications) - [Configure notification policies](/docs/grafana/latest/alerting/configure-notifications/create-notification-policy/) ## Manage Alertmanager configurations On the Settings page, you can also manage your Alertmanager configurations. - Manage version snapshots for the built-in Alertmanager, which allows administrators to roll back unintentional changes or mistakes in the Alertmanager configuration. - Compare the historical snapshot with the latest configuration to see which changes were made.