commit 57f5a8329c888902c1dccb0814c5b67b7d555675
parent 277afe54fa282424b01583c69dc0ced969c03b86
Author: Chris Roberts <chris.roberts@learningunix.net>
Date: Sun, 31 May 2026 08:12:38 -0500
added pushover article for publication
Diffstat:
1 file changed, 25 insertions(+), 15 deletions(-)
diff --git a/content/posts/dead-simple-notifications-with-pushover.md b/content/posts/dead-simple-notifications-with-pushover.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
+++
date = '2026-05-29T16:25:23-05:00'
-draft = true
+draft = false
title = 'Dead Simple Notifications With Pushover and shell'
+++
@@ -18,16 +18,23 @@ 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.
+systems.
+
+### Cost and Limitations
+
+The API allows up to 10,000 messages per month at no additional cost. Once
+that limit is reached, blocks of additional capacity can be
+[purchased](https://pushover.net/settings/upgrade). The mobile application
+itself has a 30-day free trial, after which there is a one-time
+[fee](https://pushover.net/pricing) of $5 per platform.
## 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.
+[pushover.net](https://pushover.net) and register. The user key is displayed
+in the dashboard after registration and identifies where notifications will
+be delivered. Install the mobile application and log in to start receiving
+notifications on the phone.
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"
@@ -37,7 +44,7 @@ application.
The user will need both the user key and the API token to send notifications.
Keep them somewhere safe.
-## Sending Your First Notification
+## Sending the 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
@@ -55,15 +62,15 @@ 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
+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
+Rather than including the full `curl` command in every script, it can be wrapped
+in a shell script of its own. This gives a reusable command that can be called
from any other script on the system.
```bash
@@ -80,15 +87,18 @@ PUSHOVER_USER="YOUR_USER_KEY"
https://api.pushover.net/1/messages.json
```
-Save this as `notify.sh`, make it executable, and place it somewhere in the
-path:
+Save this as `notify.sh` and make it executable:
```
chmod +x notify.sh
-mv notify.sh ~/.local/bin/
```
-The user can now send a notification from anywhere on the system:
+Place it in a directory that is in the path of the user that will be running
+the notification scripts. On Linux `~/.local/bin` is a common choice. On
+macOS `/usr/local/bin` is typical. Run `echo $PATH` to see what directories
+are currently in the user's path.
+
+With the script in place, sending a notification looks like this:
```
notify.sh "Testing notifications" "My first notification!"
