---
labels:
  products:
    - oss
title: 'Mute timings vs silences'
---

## Mute timings vs silences

[Mute timings](ref:shared-mute-timings) and [silences](ref:shared-silences) are distinct methods to suppress notifications. They do not prevent alert rules from being evaluated or stop alert instances from appearing in the user interface; they only prevent notifications from being created.

The following table highlights the key differences between mute timings and silences.

|            | Mute timing                                                 | Silence                                                          |
| ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Setup**  | Created and then added to notification policies             | Matches alerts using labels to determine whether to silence them |
| **Period** | Uses time interval definitions that can repeat periodically | Has a fixed start and end time                                   |
