> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.spike.sh/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.spike.sh/status-pages/create-public-incident-on-status-page.md).

# Incidents on your status page

Create public incidents on your status page dashboard and post updates as the situation evolves for your customers.

Use the status page dashboard to create public incidents and keep customers informed as the situation develops.

## Declare an incident

On your status page, click **Incidents** in the left sidebar, then click **Declare incident**.

<figure><img src="https://1743514643-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-Ln3jS1bJTTsE3yoEcOu%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-9926d5ae9eab2119d7dfc1918e2f19fc5718ef01%2Fstatus-pages-incidents-declare-form-1.png?alt=media" alt="Declare incident form on Spike status page"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Fill in the **title** and **description** to describe the issue.

Set the **impact** based on your assessment. You can update this as the situation develops.

Set the **date and time** the incident was identified. Spike uses this to calculate outage duration for affected components.

Select the **affected components** impacted by the incident. For each component, set its current state:

* **Operational**: The component is functioning correctly.
* **Degraded performance**: The component is working but below normal performance.
* **Partial outage**: The component is not working for some users or in some situations.
* **Critical outage**: The component is not functioning for most users.
* **Planned maintenance**: The component has scheduled maintenance. Consider creating a [Planned Maintenance event](/status-pages/create-planned-maintenance-on-status-page.md) instead.

To **notify subscribers** by email, toggle on the notification option. Spike sends an email to all status page subscribers.

## Add updates to an incident

Once the incident is created, it appears on your status page. Click into the incident to open it.

<figure><img src="https://1743514643-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-Ln3jS1bJTTsE3yoEcOu%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c29e10908bac6345297e4722e6970e5c37722825%2Fstatus-pages-incidents-incident-page-1.png?alt=media" alt="Incident page on Spike status page dashboard"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

As you learn more, post updates to keep subscribers informed. Click **Send an update**.

<figure><img src="https://1743514643-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-Ln3jS1bJTTsE3yoEcOu%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-bf112778a79f3658f8313757e918f0516e598b4c%2Fstatus-pages-incidents-send-update-1.png?alt=media" alt="Send an update button on incident page"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="https://1743514643-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-Ln3jS1bJTTsE3yoEcOu%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-625d34ba383183d07d1312dd63081d3ccb126fe3%2Fstatus-pages-incidents-update-form-1.png?alt=media" alt="Send an update form on Spike status page"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

For each update, select the current incident status:

* **Identified**: You have identified the cause or the fix.
* **Resolved**: The issue is fixed. Move affected components back to Operational.
* **Postmortem**: The issue is resolved. Use this to share findings and steps to prevent recurrence.
* **Update**: A general update when none of the above statuses apply.

<figure><img src="https://1743514643-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-Ln3jS1bJTTsE3yoEcOu%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-2e4ef63728a4053318ee39d371dc173f39e70408%2Fstatus-pages-incidents-updates-timeline-1.png?alt=media" alt="Incident updates timeline on Spike status page"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Updates appear on your public status page immediately after posting.