Monitor types

All twelve monitor types with what each checks and an example config — HTTP, TCP, UDP, TLS, SSL/TLS security, domain security, DNS, ICMP, WebSocket, traceroute, gRPC and multi-step API.

Twelve types across three tiers, all on the same spine — same scheduling, regions, thresholds, incidents and timeline. Each type below lists what it checks and the config object it accepts. The marketing pages under /monitors explain when to reach for each one.

HTTP(S)

Basic monitoring · target: https://example.com. Status, latency, redirects, response headers and body/JSON assertions — over HTTP or HTTPS.

• Response status code and total latency
• Redirect handling — follow up to 10 hops, or report the redirect itself
• Response header, body-content and JSON-field assertions
• Pre-request scripts and on-demand executions (HTTP family only)

{
  "name": "Checkout API",
  "type": "http",
  "target": "https://api.example.com/health",
  "interval_seconds": 60,
  "region_codes": ["us-east", "eu-west"],
  "config": {
    "method": "GET",
    "follow_redirects": true,
    "assertions": [{ "type": "status", "equals": 200 }]
  }
}

TCP

Basic monitoring · target: example.com:443. Connect-and-handshake reachability for the service behind a host:port.

• TCP connect to host:port succeeds
• Connect latency

{ "type": "tcp", "target": "db.example.com:5432", "interval_seconds": 60 }

UDP

Basic monitoring · target: example.com:53. Datagram probe — UDP has no handshake, so send a message and match the reply.

• Local socket opens
• Optional: send a datagram and match a substring in the reply

{
  "type": "udp",
  "target": "dns.example.com:53",
  "config": { "udp_message": "ping", "udp_expected_response": "pong" }
}

TLS

Basic monitoring · target: example.com:443. Raw TLS handshake and certificate validity at a host:port (any TLS service, not just HTTPS).

• TLS handshake completes
• Certificate chain validity and expiry

{ "type": "tls", "target": "smtp.example.com:465", "interval_seconds": 300 }

DNS

Basic monitoring · target: example.com. Does a name still resolve to what you expect — the right record type, value and across regions.

• Chosen record type (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, …) resolves
• Value matches what you expect
• Resolver drift and cross-region propagation

{
  "type": "dns",
  "target": "example.com",
  "config": { "dns_record_type": "A" }
}

ICMP (ping)

Basic monitoring · target: example.com or an IP. Raw reachability and packet loss — a real ICMP echo from every probe node.

• ICMP echo reachability
• Packet loss and round-trip time

{ "type": "icmp", "target": "203.0.113.10", "interval_seconds": 60 }

WebSocket

Basic monitoring · target: wss://example.com/socket. The upgrade handshake, plus an optional round-trip: send a frame and match the reply.

• WebSocket upgrade succeeds
• Optional: send a text frame and match a substring in the response

{
  "type": "websocket",
  "target": "wss://example.com/socket",
  "config": { "websocket_message": "ping", "websocket_expected_response": "pong" }
}

Traceroute

Basic monitoring · target: example.com or an IP. The network path to a host — hop-by-hop — so a routing change is visible, not just a slowdown.

• Hop-by-hop path to the target
• Per-hop latency

{ "type": "traceroute", "target": "example.com", "interval_seconds": 300 }

SSL/TLS Security

Security checks · target: https://example.com. A graded security assessment (A+ to F) across TLS/SSL config, certificate trust, HTTP headers and more — with a scoring mode you choose.

• TLS/SSL configuration and certificate trust (CAA issuer alignment, OCSP revocation)
• HTTP security headers, cookies, CORS, content, redirects, exposure and scripts
• One rolled-up A+–F grade — see Security posture for the scoring modes

{
  "type": "light_security",
  "target": "https://example.com",
  "config": {
    "security_scoring_mode": "low",   // low | medium | high
    "dns_resolver": "1.1.1.1:53"
  }
}

Domain Security

Security checks · target: example.com. Who controls the domain, and whether that changed: registrar state, the DNS control plane, email authentication and reputation.

• Registrar / registration state
• DNS control plane and nameservers
• Email authentication — SPF, DKIM, DMARC
• Domain reputation signals

{
  "type": "domain",
  "target": "example.com",
  "config": { "dns_resolver": "1.1.1.1:53" }
}

gRPC

Protocol · target: grpc.example.com:443. Health-check a gRPC service, or call a specific unary method — with service discovery to build the request.

• grpc.health.v1.Health check, or a unary RPC to a chosen method
• Service/method discovery to scaffold the request body
• Per-call latency and status

{
  "type": "grpc",
  "target": "grpc.example.com:443",
  "config": { "grpc_mode": "health_check" }
}

Multi-Step API Test

Advanced / Synthetic · target: https://api.example.com/v1. A chained, synthetic workflow: several requests in sequence, passing values between steps, with per-step assertions and scripts.

• Ordered request steps with variables carried between them
• Per-step response, header and JSON assertions
• Pre-request and post-response scripts (pulse.* API); optional cleanup steps

{
  "type": "multi_step_api",
  "target": "https://api.example.com/v1",
  "config": {
    "workflow_steps": [
      { "name": "login",   "method": "POST", "path": "/auth" },
      { "name": "fetch",   "method": "GET",  "path": "/orders" }
    ]
  }
}

Fields shared by every type