Monitor types

Not sure which kind of check to set up? This guide breaks down the ten monitor types InfraNest offers, so you can pick the right one for what you want to keep an eye on.

Overview

• InfraNest can watch ten different kinds of target — pick the one that matches what you want to check.
• Each type looks for a different kind of problem, from a website going down to a certificate quietly expiring.
• You choose the type when you use Add monitor, and each one has its own set of fields to fill in.

Choose the right monitor type

1. Go to Monitors and select Add monitor.
2. Review the available types and pick the one that matches what you want to watch:
   • HTTP / website monitoring — checks that a website or URL is reachable and healthy, and can detect slow responses.
   • API monitor — checks that a JSON or multi-step API endpoint behaves as expected.
   • Port monitoring — checks that a TCP port is open and accepting connections.
   • SSL Certificate — checks that a certificate is valid and not near expiry; this also adds it to your certificate list.
   • DNS monitoring — checks that a DNS record resolves, and optionally matches an expected value.
   • Keyword monitoring — checks that a page contains (or doesn't contain) some expected text.
   • Redirect monitoring — checks that a URL redirects to the address you expect.
   • Ping monitor — checks that a host answers a ping.
   • Heartbeat / Cron monitor — a "dead man's switch" for cron jobs; your job must check in each interval, or you're alerted.
   • Service status — mirrors another company's public status page, so their outages show up in yours.
3. Fill in the fields for that type (for example, URL to monitor, Hostname, or Target) and set your Check interval.
4. Select Create monitor to save it.

TipFor an HTTP / website monitoring check, you can also turn on Also verify SSL certificate to watch the certificate's expiry, without creating a separate SSL Certificate monitor.

Tips

• If you're mainly worried about a certificate expiring, you don't always need a dedicated SSL Certificate monitor — the SSL sub-check on an HTTP monitor may be enough.
• Use Service status monitors for third-party services you depend on (like a cloud provider or payment processor) so their status shows up alongside your own.
• Heartbeat / Cron monitor is different from the others: instead of InfraNest checking your target, your job checks in with InfraNest on a schedule.