Alerts in Google Chat

CloudZero offers an app integration with Google Chat so you can send a View's cost notifications, such as anomaly and budget alerts, directly to a Google Chat space using an incoming webhook.

Like Slack and email, Google Chat is a notification channel you attach to a View. Each View can post to one or more Google Chat spaces, and you can register several webhooks for different spaces.

Overview

Sending a View's alerts to Google Chat takes three steps:

1. Create the webhook in Google Chat
2. Register the webhook in CloudZero
3. Attach the webhook to a View

What you need

In CloudZero

Only users with the necessary permissions can configure app integrations. For information about how to manage permissions, see Users & Permissions.

In Google Chat

Incoming webhooks require a Business or Enterprise Google Workspace account. You need access to the Google Chat space that will receive alerts, and your Google Workspace administrator controls whether webhooks are allowed for your organization.

Add a Google Chat webhook

First, create an incoming webhook in Google Chat, then add it to CloudZero.

Create the webhook in Google Chat

1. Open the space that should receive alerts.
2. At the top, select the space name, then select Apps & integrations.
3. Under Webhooks, select Add webhooks.
4. Enter a name (for example, CloudZero).
5. Select Save.
6. Copy the webhook URL that Google Chat generates.

For the latest steps, see Google's guide to registering incoming webhooks.

Register the webhook in CloudZero

1. Navigate to Settings > App Integrations.
2. On the Google Chat card, paste the webhook URL and enter a name you will recognize (for example, FinOps space).
3. Select Add.

The webhook now appears on the Google Chat card and is ready to attach to a View.

Send a View's alerts to Google Chat

1. Open the View you want alerts for and select Edit View.
2. Under Send notifications to Google Chat, select one or more of your webhooks.
3. Save the View.

If no webhooks are listed, add one first (see Add a Google Chat webhook).

What to expect

Setup is complete once you save the View. Saving does not send a message to the space. The first Google Chat message arrives the next time that View generates a notification.

Weekly cost trends arrive on Tuesdays and monthly cost trends at the beginning of each month. Budget and anomaly alerts arrive when CloudZero detects a crossed threshold or an unexpected change in spend. For details on notification types and frequency, see Notifications.

Attaching a webhook does not resend notifications that already went out. A budget threshold the View has already crossed, or an anomaly CloudZero has already reported, does not fire a second time for the new channel. The first Google Chat message comes with the View's next new notification.

What Google Chat messages contain

Google Chat messages contain the notification title only. They do not include cost amounts, the Dimensions or accounts involved, or a link back to CloudZero.

To see the detail behind an alert, open the View in CloudZero. If your team needs the full breakdown in the notification itself, keep email or Slack configured on the View alongside Google Chat.

Remove a Google Chat webhook

To remove a webhook, navigate to Settings > App Integrations and remove it from the Google Chat card.

Removing a webhook also removes it from any Views that were using it, and those Views stop sending to that space.

Limits and requirements