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Creating Your First Monitoring Service

Overview

This tutorial guides you through creating your first monitoring service on UptimeHunt. We'll cover both HTTP and PING monitoring configuration with practical examples.

Before You Begin

Ensure you have:

  • An active UptimeHunt account
  • A website or server to monitor
  • Basic understanding of your service's requirements (URL, IP address, etc.)

Creating an HTTP Monitoring Service

Step 1: Access Service Creation

  1. Log in to your UptimeHunt dashboard
  2. Navigate to the Services page (default view after login)
  3. Click the "Add Service" button in the upper right corner

Step 2: Select Service Type

  1. A modal dialog will appear with available monitoring types
  2. Select "HTTP" for website and API endpoint monitoring
  3. Click on the HTTP option to proceed

Step 3: Configure Basic Settings

Complete the following fields in the service configuration form:

Service Identification

Service Name (Required)
A descriptive name for easy identification
Example: Production API, Company Website, Status Page
Project (Optional)
Assign to an existing project for organizational purposes
Leave unassigned if not using project organization
Enabled (Toggle)
Set to enabled (ON) to begin monitoring immediately
Disable to configure without starting checks
Check Interval (Required)
Monitoring frequency in minutes
Default: 3 minutes
Range: 1-60 minutes

Step 4: Configure HTTP Settings

URL (Required)
Complete URL including protocol
Example: https://api.example.com/health
Supports both HTTP and HTTPS protocols
HTTP Method (Required)
Request method to use
Options: GET, POST, HEAD
Default: GET
Select POST for endpoints requiring request bodies

Step 5: Configure Authentication (Optional)

If your endpoint requires authentication, select the appropriate type:

No Authentication

Default setting for public endpoints.

Basic Authentication

For HTTP Basic Auth:

  • Select "Basic" from the authentication dropdown
  • Enter Username
  • Enter Password

Bearer Token

For token-based authentication:

  • Select "Bearer Token" from the authentication dropdown
  • Enter your Bearer Token

Step 6: Add Custom Headers (Optional)

To include custom HTTP headers:

  1. Click "Add Header" button
  2. Enter Header Name (e.g., Accept)
  3. Enter Header Value (e.g., application/json)
  4. Repeat for additional headers

Step 7: Configure POST Data (Optional)

For POST requests:

Text Input
Enter request body directly
Supports JSON, XML, or form data
File Upload
Upload a file containing request body
Useful for large or complex payloads

Step 8: Save Service

Click "Create Service" to save your configuration. The service will appear in your Services list and monitoring will begin according to your specified interval.

Creating a PING Monitoring Service

Step 1: Access Service Creation

Follow the same initial steps as HTTP monitoring:

  1. Navigate to Services dashboard
  2. Click "Add Service"

Step 2: Select PING Type

  1. Select "PING" from the monitoring type options
  2. Click to proceed to configuration

Step 3: Configure PING Settings

Complete the following fields:

Service Name (Required)
Descriptive identifier for the service
Project (Optional)
Assign to project for organization
Enabled (Toggle)
Activate monitoring immediately
Check Interval (Required)
Frequency in minutes (default: 3)
IP Address / Domain (Required)
Target for ping monitoring
Supports: - IPv4 addresses (e.g., 192.168.1.1) - IPv6 addresses (e.g., 2001:db8::1) - Domain names (e.g., example.com)

Step 4: Save Configuration

Click "Create Service" to activate your PING monitoring.

Verifying Your Service

After creating a service:

  1. Return to the Services dashboard
  2. Locate your new service in the list
  3. Verify the service status shows as "Enabled"
  4. Wait for the first check interval to complete
  5. Click the service name to view details

Understanding Check Results

After the first monitoring interval:

Service Status
Displays current availability (Up/Down)
Recent Checks
Lists recent monitoring attempts with: - Timestamp - Probe location - Result (success/failure) - Response time or error details
Performance Metrics
Response time graphs
Uptime percentage
Historical availability data

Example Configurations

Example 1: Simple Website Monitoring

Service Name: Company Homepage
Type: HTTP
URL: https://www.example.com
Method: GET
Authentication: None
Interval: 5 minutes

Example 2: API Health Check

Service Name: API Health Endpoint
Type: HTTP
URL: https://api.example.com/v1/health
Method: GET
Authentication: Bearer Token
Token: eyJhbGc...
Headers:
  - Accept: application/json
Interval: 3 minutes

Example 3: Authenticated POST Request

Service Name: Login API Test
Type: HTTP
URL: https://api.example.com/auth/login
Method: POST
Authentication: Basic
Username: test@example.com
Password: ********
Headers:
  - Content-Type: application/json
POST Data: {"username":"test","password":"test123"}
Interval: 10 minutes

Example 4: Server Ping Monitoring

Service Name: Production Server
Type: PING
IP Address: 192.168.1.100
Interval: 1 minute

Example 5: Domain Ping Monitoring

Service Name: DNS Availability
Type: PING
IP Address: example.com
Interval: 5 minutes

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use clear, descriptive names that indicate: - Environment (Production, Staging, Development) - Service type (API, Website, Server) - Purpose (Health Check, Login, Database)

Check Intervals

Select appropriate intervals based on criticality: - Critical services: 1-3 minutes - Standard monitoring: 5-10 minutes - Non-critical services: 15-30 minutes

Authentication Security

  • Use dedicated monitoring credentials
  • Limit permissions to read-only where possible
  • Rotate tokens regularly
  • Never share credentials

Next Steps

Troubleshooting

Service Not Appearing

If your service doesn't appear after creation: - Refresh the page - Check for error messages in the browser console - Verify all required fields were completed

No Check Results

If no check results appear: - Verify the service is enabled - Wait for the configured interval period - Check URL/IP address is accessible from the internet - Review firewall and security settings

Authentication Failures

For authentication-related issues: - Verify credentials are correct - Check token expiration - Ensure authentication type matches endpoint requirements - Test credentials independently