Monitor types (HTTP, SSL, port, domain, DNS, ping, heartbeat, visual, LAN)

ePulz.io offers 12 monitor types - from a simple website check through SSL certificate and domain expiry tracking all the way to visual comparison and monitoring inside an internal company network. Choose based on exactly what you want to track.

HTTP / HTTPS

The classic check of a publicly accessible website. It sends a request (GET by default, but you can set another HTTP method) and verifies the return code (200 by default), and optionally the presence of a keyword in the response.

• Use for: public websites, API endpoints, status pages, online documentation
• Target: https://www.mywebsite.com
• With https:// the validity of the SSL certificate is also verified automatically

SSL (certificate expiry)

A standalone monitor that tracks when your SSL/TLS certificate expires (the padlock next to the address in the browser). It warns you well in advance so you have time to renew it. It is useful even when you already have an HTTPS monitor, because it focuses solely on the certificate lifetime.

• Target: www.mywebsite.com (hostname, port 443 is the default)
• Alerts are sent automatically 30, 14, 7, 3 and 1 day before expiry

TCP port

Verifies whether a specific port on the server accepts connections. Handy for services such as a database, SSH (remote access), mail ports or other applications that do not run as a website.

• Target: db.mycompany.com:5432
• It is enough that the connection is established - the content is not read

DNS

Verifies whether a domain name resolves correctly to an IP address, that is, whether DNS (resolving a domain name to an IP) works. It catches a nameserver outage or a misconfiguration of DNS records.

• Target: mywebsite.com
• Record type A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME or NS as needed

Domain (name expiry)

Checks daily when your domain name registration expires. The data is taken from the public domain name register (WHOIS). It warns you in advance so you have time to renew the domain and do not lose it.

• Use for: domains used only for email (without a website), or as a complement to the HTTP and SSL monitor
• Target: mywebsite.com (without http://)
• Alert 30, 14, 7, 3 and 1 day before expiry

Ping (ICMP)

Our server sends an ICMP ping (the simplest network test of the "are you there" kind) to the given IP address or domain. Handy wherever no web service is available and you only need to know whether the device is reachable.

• Use for: public servers without a web service, routers, firewalls
• Target: 8.8.8.8 or router.example.com
• Note: some servers have ICMP blocked - in that case use a TCP monitor instead

Heartbeat

A reverse monitor - the signal is sent by you from your own cron job or script. If we do not receive it at the expected time (the interval plus a tolerance window, the so-called grace period), we send you an alert. Suitable for nightly backups, sync tasks and other scheduled processes.

Detail: What is a heartbeat.

Visual check (Pro, Business and trial)

We open your website in a browser running in the background (headless), take a screenshot and compare it with a baseline screenshot. This catches situations where the page renders completely differently than before: broken CSS, an unloaded font, a JavaScript error, an A/B test or an unauthorized content change (defacement).

• Use for: landing pages, checkout, marketing websites - everywhere appearance has a big impact
• Target: https://www.mywebsite.com
• Available on the Pro and Business plan (and during the trial)
• Detail: Visual check

LAN ping / LAN TCP / LAN HTTP

For devices and services in the client's internal network. Part of the infrastructure runs in the company's internal network (NAS, intranet, a database behind the firewall) and cloud monitoring cannot reach them from the internet. The solution is a LAN agent - a small program that runs directly at the customer's site and checks the local targets itself.

• Target: 192.168.1.10 (NAS), 10.0.0.50:5432 (database), http://nas.local (internal website)
• You first need to install the agent - guide

Browser monitoring (Business and trial)

Loads the page in a real browser (Playwright/Chromium), so it reveals even errors that a simple HTTP request does not see - broken JavaScript, missing resources or content that renders only after scripts run. Suitable for modern single-page applications. Available on the Business plan and during the trial.

How to choose