Creating a data feed

A data feed connects a monitor or third-party data source with a DNS record or answer metadata.

When you create a monitor, a data feed is automatically generated for you and can be attached directly to a DNS answer metadata field. If you are using a third-party data source, then you must create data feeds manually. Whereas a data source represents the IBM® NS1 Connect® monitoring service or third-party monitoring service as a whole, each data feed maps to a specific endpoint being monitored.

Note: When you create a data source, you are prompted to create the first data feed. If you created the feed during the initial configuration, it appears on the Integrations > Feeds page next to the respective data source.

After creating a data feed from an existing source, you can connect it to the corresponding answer metadata to enable automatic updates. For example, if you have a monitor tracking the up status or availability of an endpoint, you can connect the corresponding feed to the Up/down answer metadata field. If the monitor detects the endpoint is down, it will push an update through the corresponding data feed and change the status of the answer to down (or up=false).

Procedure

Follow the instructions below to configure a data feed from an existing third-party data source.

  1. Navigate to Integrations > Incoming Feeds to see all existing data sources and their associated data feeds.
    Note: The label to the upper-right of the data source icon represents the number of existing data feeds currently associated with it.
  2. Under Add a Feed to a Configured Data Source, click the icon corresponding to the data source you want to which you want to add a data feed.
  3. Enter a name for the data feed (for internal reference) and complete the additional form fields. The specific fields depend on the type of data source you selected. For example, if you are creating a data feed from a native NS1 Connect API webhook, you are prompted to enter a label (e.g., a specific server or facility name). Typically, third-party data sources require specific information to map the data feed to an object in their network.

    Once complete, click Submit.

Now, you can associate the data feed with an answer (that is, endpoint) within a DNS record, and then configure a Filter Chain for the record to define how each DNS query will be processed. Each filter in the Filter Chain references the metadata of every answer in the record and uses a unique processing logic — typically, to sort or eliminate answers if they fail to meet specific conditions — to return the best answer to the requester.