Creating Your First Monitoring Service

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 — this opens a dedicated Add service page (not a popup)

Step 2: Select Service Type

1. At the top of the Add service page, a grid of type cards lists the available monitoring types, grouped by category
2. Select "HTTP" for website and API endpoint monitoring
3. Click the HTTP card to proceed — the rest of the page's sections appear below it

Step 3: Configure Basic Settings

Complete the following fields in the service configuration form:

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 seconds. Default: 180 s (3 min). Minimum depends on plan: Free: 300 s, Pro: 60 s, Team: 30 s, Scale: 30 s, Enterprise: 30 s. 30 s is the platform-wide floor for every tier.

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", enter Username and Password.

Bearer Token — For token-based authentication: select "Bearer Token", enter your token.

Step 6: Add Custom Headers (Optional)

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, enter request body directly in the text input. Supports JSON, XML, or form data.

Step 8: Review Expected Results and Alerts (Optional)

Further down the same page:

• Expected results — the rules builder already shows two rows: HTTP status at least 200, and under 400 (any 2xx/3xx), tagged default. Edit a row directly if you need something stricter — there's no separate mode to switch into first. (HTTP's Connection group — follow redirects, verify TLS — lives up in the request section above, not here.)
• Alerts & notifications — choose whether this service alerts at all, which channels it routes to, and its sensitivity. It defaults to on, routed to your default notification channels.

Step 9: Save Service

Click "Create service" in the sticky footer at the bottom of the page 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

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

Step 2: Select PING Type

Select "PING" from the monitoring type options.

Step 3: Configure PING Settings

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 seconds (default: 180).

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)

In the Ping settings section you can also set a per-check Timeout (1–120 seconds, default 10 s) if the target needs more or less time than the platform default.

Step 4: Save Configuration

Click "Create service" in the sticky footer 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

Example Configurations

Simple Website Monitoring

Service Name: Company Homepage
Type: HTTP
URL: https://www.example.com
Method: GET
Authentication: None
Interval: 300 s (5 min)

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: 180 s (3 min)

Server Ping Monitoring

Service Name: Production Server
Type: PING
IP Address: 192.168.1.100
Interval: 60 s (1 min)   # requires Pro plan or higher

Best Practices

Select check intervals based on criticality:

• Critical services: 30–180 s (Team/Enterprise plans enable sub-minute checks)
• Standard monitoring: 180–600 s
• Non-critical services: 900–1800 s

Troubleshooting

Service Not Appearing — Refresh the page, check for error messages in the browser console, and verify all required fields were completed.

No Check Results — Verify the service is enabled, wait for the configured interval period, check URL/IP address is accessible from the internet, and review firewall and security settings.

Authentication Failures — Verify credentials are correct, check token expiration, ensure authentication type matches endpoint requirements, and test credentials independently.

Next Steps

• View Service Details
• Organize with Projects
• Advanced HTTP Configuration
• PING Monitoring Details