Menu
Documentationbreadcrumb arrow OnCallbreadcrumb arrow Configurebreadcrumb arrow Integrationsbreadcrumb arrow Labelsbreadcrumb arrow Upstream Dependencies
Grafana Cloud

Configure Upstream Dependencies in Grafana IRM

Configure Upstream Dependencies to understand the impact of firing alerts by identifying related services that may also be experiencing issues. In combination with the Service Center, labels allow Grafana IRM to track dependencies and provide visibility into service relationships.

How Upstream Dependencies work

When an alert group fires, Grafana IRM can determine its upstream dependencies using the following process:

  1. Service Center configuration:
    • All services and their dependencies must be correctly defined in the Service Center. Each service must have a unique service identifier.
  2. service_name label check:
    • When an alert group fires, Grafana IRM checks if it has a service_name label.
    • If the label matches a service identifier in the Service Center, IRM retrieves its upstream dependencies.
  3. Upstream Dependency evaluation:
    • IRM checks if any upstream dependencies have active alert groups.
    • If so, those dependencies are displayed in the Upstream Dependencies section on the alert group page.

This lets you quickly determine if an alert is potentially caused by—or impacting—other upstream services.

View upstream dependencies

To check for upstream dependencies:

  1. In Grafana IRM, go to the Alert Groups page.
  2. Select the alert group you want to investigate.
  3. If any upstream services also have firing alert groups, they are listed in the Upstream Dependencies drop downsection within the alert details.

Important considerations

  • Service Center configuration is required: Your services and dependencies must be properly set up in the Service Center.
  • service_name label must be correctly assigned: The alert group must include a service_name label that matches a defined service in the Service Center.