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RespondNow

Free plan Self-hostedWeb

What RespondNow is

RespondNow is a free, open-source framework for managing organizational incidents through Slack. It combines an incident management server, a Slack app, and an incident dashboard. Teams can start incidents with a Slack shortcut or the app’s incident button; each incident gets a dedicated triage channel named using an rn-{timestamp}-{incident-name} pattern. Responders can list open and closed incidents, inspect details, and update summaries, severity, status, assigned roles, and comments. Comments can link artifacts such as bug reports, tickets, pull requests, and RCA documents. The web portal brings incident timelines and comments together in one view. Slack is the documented integration and primary interface, and the app must be installed in a workspace and permitted to join channels. RespondNow is self-hosted using Docker images or Helm charts on Kubernetes. Deployment requires Kubernetes 1.22 or later, Helm 3, and a persistent volume of at least 5 GB. The project is licensed under Apache License 2.0.

Who it suits

RespondNow suits operations teams and developers coordinating organizational incidents through Slack. It is intended for teams able to deploy and maintain a self-hosted Kubernetes service.

What it does well

Free and open-source under Apache License 2.0
Creates dedicated Slack triage channels
Tracks incident status, severity, roles, and comments
Portal consolidates timelines and incident comments

What to know first

Requires Kubernetes 1.22 or later and Helm 3
Needs at least 5 GB of persistent storage
Slack is the documented integration and primary interface

Limits

RespondNow is free, with no paid plan prices described. Its self-hosted deployment requires Kubernetes 1.22 or later, Helm 3, and at least 5 GB of persistent storage.

Getting started

Prepare Kubernetes 1.22 or later, Helm 3, and a persistent volume of at least 5 GB.
Deploy using the documented Docker images or Helm charts.
Create and install the Slack app in your workspace.
Configure the Slack app and bot tokens, and allow the app to join workspace channels.
Start incidents in Slack with /start or the Start New Incident button.

Verdict

RespondNow provides Slack-centered incident creation, tracking, and a consolidated web portal without a paid plan price listed. Its self-hosting prerequisites and Slack setup are important considerations before adoption.

Questions

Is RespondNow free?

Yes. The maker describes it as free and provides no paid plan prices.

Is RespondNow open source?

Yes. The repository says it is licensed under Apache License 2.0.

What platforms does it support?

RespondNow is self-hosted and includes a web portal; Slack is its documented integration and primary interface.

What is required to deploy it?

Deployment requires Kubernetes 1.22 or later, Helm 3, and a persistent volume of at least 5 GB.

Who maintains RespondNow?

The website and documentation identify Harness Inc. as the copyright holder.

How do teams create incidents?

They can use the /start shortcut in Slack or the Start New Incident button in the Slack app.

Facts from RespondNow's own pages

Community: The project directs users to join the RespondNow community channel in the CNCF Slack workspace. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Components: The framework includes an incident management server, a Slack app, and an incident dashboard for monitoring and managing ongoing incidents. · respondnow.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Deployment: RespondNow is deployed on Kubernetes, and its prerequisites include Kubernetes 1.22+, Helm 3, and a persistent volume of at least 5 GB. · respondnow.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Hosting: The maker documents Docker images and Helm charts for deployment on Kubernetes clusters. · respondnow.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Incident creation: Users can start an incident with the Slack `/start` command or the Start New Incident button in the Slack app. · respondnow.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Incident fields: Incident creation supports a name, summary, severity, role, and incident channel. · respondnow.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Incident tracking: Users can list open or closed incidents with Slack shortcuts and view incident metadata and details. · respondnow.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Incident updates: Users can update incident summaries, severity, status, assigned roles, and comments, including comments linking artifacts such as bug reports, tickets, pull requests, and RCAs. · respondnow.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Incident workflows: Teams can create, list, and update incidents, set up triage channels, and attach artifacts such as bug reports, tickets, and RCA documents. · respondnow.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Integration: Slack is the documented integration and primary user interface; setup requires creating and installing a Slack app in the workspace. · respondnow.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Intended users: The maker positions RespondNow for operations teams and developers managing organizational incidents. · respondnow.io, 4 Oct 2026
Maintainer: The documentation and website identify Harness Inc. as the copyright holder. · respondnow.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Maker: The site footer identifies Harness Inc. as the copyright holder. · respondnow.io, 9 Oct 2026
Open source: The RespondNow GitHub repository says the project is licensed under Apache License 2.0. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Packaging: Release 0.1.0 documents Docker images hosted on GitHub Container Registry and Helm charts for Kubernetes deployment. · respondnow.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Portal: The RespondNow portal provides a consolidated incident view with event timelines and comments. · respondnow.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Pricing: The maker describes RespondNow as free and provides no paid plan prices on the pages reviewed. · respondnow.io, 4 Oct 2026
Product: RespondNow is an open-source incident management framework for creating, managing, and responding to organizational incidents through Slack. · respondnow.io, 4 Oct 2026
Purpose: RespondNow is a free, open-source incident management framework for managing organizational incidents through Slack. · respondnow.io, 9 Oct 2026
Security and compliance: The opened maker pages describe Kubernetes deployment and Slack tokens but do not state a security certification or compliance standard. · respondnow.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Slack setup: The Slack app must be locally installed and allowed to join workspace channels; server setup uses Slack app and bot tokens. · respondnow.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Triage channels: When an incident is created, RespondNow creates a Slack channel named using the `rn-{timestamp}-{incident-name}` convention for response discussions. · respondnow.github.io, 9 Oct 2026

Where RespondNow stands on Freedom251

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