commit 277afe54fa282424b01583c69dc0ced969c03b86
parent d52ab20b6c2275a7be9a975c2b2086fa6b3a8869
Author: Chris Roberts <chris.roberts@learningunix.net>
Date: Sat, 30 May 2026 07:55:10 -0500
added pushover article, not ready for publication
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diff --git a/content/posts/dead-simple-notifications-with-pushover.md b/content/posts/dead-simple-notifications-with-pushover.md
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+date = '2026-05-29T16:25:23-05:00'
+draft = true
+title = 'Dead Simple Notifications With Pushover and shell'
++++
+
+## What is Pushover?
+
+[Pushover](https://pushover.net/) is a notification service that makes it easy
+to send real-time push notifications to the user's phone from scripts and
+applications. Users can wrap the service in a few lines of shell and get
+real-time notifications for automated tasks. Some examples include docker
+container health checks, zpool status reports, and the outcome of shell
+commands.
+
+The service has native applications for iOS and Android, and a browser-based
+client for desktop users. There is also a growing list of
+[plugins](https://pushover.net/apps) for popular applications. Pushover
+provides a simple [HTTP API](https://pushover.net/api). Used in combination
+with the mobile application, users can build simple but effective notification
+systems. The Pushover mobile app is free to use for 30 days after which users
+will have to pay a small one-time [fee](https://pushover.net/pricing) of $5
+per platform to continue using the service.
+
+## Getting Set Up
+
+To get started the user will need a Pushover account. Head to
+[pushover.net](https://pushover.net) and register. Once the user has an
+account, install the app on the phone and log in. This provides a user key,
+which identifies where notifications will be delivered.
+
+Next the user needs to create an application. In the Pushover dashboard, click
+"Create an Application/API Token". Give it a name like "server-scripts"
+and submit the form. Pushover will generate an API token for that
+application.
+
+The user will need both the user key and the API token to send notifications.
+Keep them somewhere safe.
+
+## Sending Your First Notification
+
+The simplest way to send a Pushover notification is with `curl`. This is a
+good way to verify the credentials are working before integrating
+notifications into scripts.
+
+```bash
+curl -s \
+ --form-string "token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
+ --form-string "user=YOUR_USER_KEY" \
+ --form-string "message=hello world" \
+ https://api.pushover.net/1/messages.json
+```
+
+Replace `YOUR_API_TOKEN` and `YOUR_USER_KEY` with the values from the
+Pushover dashboard. If everything is configured correctly, a notification
+will appear on the phone within seconds.
+
+Pushover's API supports a number of additional parameters including message
+title, priority, and sound. See the
+[Pushover example code page](https://support.pushover.net/i44-example-code-and-pushover-libraries)
+for examples in other languages.
+
+## Custom Notification Script
+
+Rather than typing out the full `curl` command every time, it can be wrapped
+in a simple shell script. This gives a reusable command that can be called
+from any other script on the system.
+
+```bash
+#!/bin/sh
+
+PUSHOVER_TOKEN="YOUR_API_TOKEN"
+PUSHOVER_USER="YOUR_USER_KEY"
+
+/usr/bin/curl -s \
+ --form-string "token=$PUSHOVER_TOKEN" \
+ --form-string "user=$PUSHOVER_USER" \
+ --form-string "title=$1" \
+ --form-string "message=$2" \
+ https://api.pushover.net/1/messages.json
+```
+
+Save this as `notify.sh`, make it executable, and place it somewhere in the
+path:
+
+```
+chmod +x notify.sh
+mv notify.sh ~/.local/bin/
+```
+
+The user can now send a notification from anywhere on the system:
+
+```
+notify.sh "Testing notifications" "My first notification!"
+```
+
+Keep this script private and never commit it to a public repository. It
+contains the user's Pushover credentials.
+
+## A Note on Sensitive Data
+
+The API token and user key should be considered sensitive information.
+For a script that lives only on the user's own machine and is never shared,
+storing them directly in the script is acceptable. If the user plans to share
+the script or commit it to a repository, use environment variables instead.
+Set them in a private file like `~/.pushover`:
+
+```sh
+export PUSHOVER_TOKEN="your-token"
+export PUSHOVER_USER="your-user-key"
+```
+
+Source that file in the shell profile so the variables are available to
+scripts:
+
+```sh
+source ~/.pushover
+```
+
+Then remove the hardcoded values from the script and reference the variables
+directly. The script is then safe to share publicly.
+
+## Practical Example
+
+Call `notify.sh` at the end of any script to confirm it ran. Here it is
+used with a simple backup:
+
+```bash
+#!/bin/sh
+
+rsync -a /home/$USER/ /mnt/backup/
+
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+ notify.sh "Backup" "Backup completed successfully"
+else
+ notify.sh "Backup" "Backup failed"
+fi
+```
+
+## Conclusion
+
+With a Pushover account and a small shell script, the user has a notification
+system that works from anywhere a shell command can be run. Adding a
+notification to an existing script is a simple process. This makes it easy
+to stay informed about what is happening on the systems without having to
+check manually.
diff --git a/content/posts/monitoring_solution.md b/content/posts/monitoring_solution.md
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
++++
+date = '2026-05-29T05:17:20-05:00'
+draft = true
+title = 'Monitoring_solution'
++++
+
+
+# Confiuring a monitoring solution for a basic cloud server
+
+## The stack
+
+### Netdata
+- What is netdata
+- Installation
+- Configuration
+- Wiring notifications
+### Uptime kuma
+- What is it
+- Install
+- Config
+- Notifications
+### Docker health checks
+- What
+- How
+- Notifications
+### notify.sh
+- Own article?
+- Pushover?
+- usage/how
+- link to script?
