APACHE AIRFLOW: Sending email notifications 

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If you are reading this blog I assume you are already familiar with the DAG creation in Apache Airflow. If not, please visit “Dag in Apache Airflow”.

This blog explains:
– Sending email notifications using EmailOperator.
– Sending email notification when Dag or task fails

Here, we will schedule a dag that consists of 3 tasks. Task_1 and Task_2 are using BaseOperator while sending_email task is using EmailOperator.

After successful execution of Task_1, the sending_email task will send an Email. At last failure Alert mail will be sent for Task_2.

Let’s start step by step…

1: Generate Google App Password

This generates 16 character unique password authorized by Google to mock the original password or two-factor authentication.

Steps for generating Google App Password:-

• Visit the App passwords page. After login, you will see the below window.

• Click Select app and choose the app you’re using.
• Click Select device and choose the device you’re using.
• Select Generate.
• App password generated ( 16 character code in the yellow bar) as shown in image below.
• Select Done.

Note: Once you are finished, you won’t see that App password code again.
Hence, Please note the password somewhere carefully.

2 : Edit airflow.cfg

airflow.config file is available in the airflow directory. Try to update the SMTP section as shown here:

[email]
email_backend = airflow.utils.email.send_email_smtp


[smtp]
smtp_host = smtp.googlemail.com
smtp_starttls = True
smtp_ssl = False
smtp_user = YOUR_EMAIL_ADDRESS
smtp_password = 16_DIGIT_APP_PASSWORD
smtp_port = 587
smtp_mail_from = YOUR_EMAIL_ADDRESS

3: Importing modules

from datetime import datetime
from airflow import DAG

from airflow.operators.bash_operator import BashOperator
from airflow.operators.email_operator import EmailOperator

4: Default Arguments

Here, ‘email_on_failure‘ is set to True. that’s why email will be sent automatically on failure.

default_args = {
    "owner": "Kuldeep",
    "start_date": datetime(2022, 2, 16),
    'email': ['kuldeep.swaroop@knoldus.com'],
    'email_on_failure': True,
}

5: Instantiate a DAG

with DAG(dag_id="Sending_mail",
        schedule_interval="@once",
        default_args=default_args,
        )

6: Set the Tasks

Here, EmailOperator is used to perform the task of sending an email.

sending_email = EmailOperator(
   task_id='sending_email',
   to='kuldeep.swaroop@knoldus.com',
   subject='Airflow Alert !!!',
   html_content="""<h1>Testing Email using Airflow</h1>""",
)

task_2 = BashOperator(
   task_id='task_2',
   bash_command='cd temp_folder’,
)

7: Setting up Dependencies

task_1 >> sending_email >> task_2

Code

The attached screenshot is the complete Example.

Result

• Task_1 succeeds
• Sending_email task succeeds
• Task_2 fails because there is no folder named temp_folder’

Viewing DAG In Airflow

After running the code, when you go to the browser and write, localhost:8080.
Click on your DAG

After clicking, you will get a detailed view of the tasks.

Tree View

Graph View

Received Email after successful execution of sending_email task

Received Alert Email after the failure of task_2

Note: If you are facing any issue related to the email operator, try to update the Docker-compose.yml file and set:-

volumes:
  - ./dags:/usr/local/airflow/dags
  - ./config/airflow.cfg:/usr/local/airflow/airflow.cfg

I hope you are now able to send emails in Apache Airflow. Stay tuned for the next part.

Read Apache-Airflow documentation for more knowledge.

To gain more information visit Knoldus Blogs.