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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →For reliable coverage, use two checks: an external HTTP/API monitor to test what customers can reach, and a cron heartbeat that reports when a scheduled task finishes. They catch different failures. An endpoint check cannot prove a background job ran, and a heartbeat cannot prove the public API is responding.
What each check tells you
| Signal | What it checks | What it can miss |
|---|---|---|
| External HTTP/API monitor | Whether a public endpoint responds as expected from outside your application. | Whether an unrelated scheduled task ran successfully. |
| Cron heartbeat | Whether a scheduled task sent its expected check-in within its period and grace window. | Whether customers can successfully use the public API. |
Better Stack documents both patterns: external status and API checks, and heartbeat monitors that expect a request to a unique URL. These are useful examples of the two mechanisms, not evidence that one provider is right for every team. Better Stack uptime monitoring documentation
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How to monitor a customer-facing API
Start with the outcome the check should verify
A basic HTTP status monitor can detect a response outside the acceptable status range. Better Stack says its HTTP status check creates an incident and alerts the on-call person when the response is not 2xx. That detects an availability symptom, but it does not establish that the endpoint returned the right data or completed a customer workflow. Better Stack uptime monitoring overview
When a status code is not enough, an API check can also assert that the response includes an expected string. Better Stack’s API-monitor documentation distinguishes status-only checks from keyword checks and covers request method, optional request body, and authentication. A keyword assertion is still a narrow check, not a full end-to-end test. Better Stack API monitor documentation
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Choose routes that represent customer impact
- List public routes tied to important customer actions.
- For each route, decide whether an acceptable HTTP status is sufficient or whether a response-content assertion matters.
- Keep the check proportionate: a shallow status assertion should not be described as validating the complete service.
Set an appropriate check frequency
The interval determines how long an outage could go unnoticed before the next check, so set it according to the detection delay your service can tolerate. Better Stack’s documentation describes options from three minutes on free plans to 30 seconds on paid plans; these are vendor- and plan-dependent details that can change, not a universal monitoring standard. Check the provider’s current plan and monitor documentation before choosing a service on this basis. Better Stack monitoring frequency documentation
How to detect a cron job that stops running
Use a heartbeat for missed runs
A heartbeat monitor expects requests at a configured interval. In Better Stack’s documented setup, it waits in a pending state until its first request, then starts measuring the expected period and grace window; missing the expected request triggers an incident. The heartbeat URL is unique to the monitor. Better Stack cron and heartbeat monitor documentation
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Send the heartbeat after the work succeeds
Call the heartbeat from the job’s success path after its important work is complete. If the request runs at the start, a later crash can still leave the monitor with a check-in that looks healthy. Where the provider supports it, use an explicit failure endpoint or report the job’s exit status or output so a failed run is distinguishable from a successful one; Better Stack’s guide documents a failure endpoint as one option. Better Stack cron and heartbeat monitor documentation
Match the schedule and allow realistic variation
Set the expected period to the job’s actual schedule, then choose a grace window that accommodates normal runtime and scheduling variation without delaying useful alerts excessively. Better Stack’s heartbeat API documents a minimum period of 30 seconds and minimum grace of zero seconds, and recommends a grace period around 20% of the period. These are Better Stack settings and guidance, not general standards; verify current limits in its heartbeat API documentation.
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A practical setup sequence
- Inventory what matters. List customer-critical public API routes and scheduled jobs whose missed execution has consequences, such as backups or billing reconciliation.
- Choose an assertion for each API route. Use an acceptable-status check for basic reachability; add a response keyword assertion if the returned content matters. Configure method, request body, or authentication when the endpoint requires them.
- Create one heartbeat per important scheduled task. Set its expected period and grace window to reflect the real schedule, then place its success request after the task completes.
- Make failures actionable. Use the provider’s failure-reporting option when available, and configure the people, channels, and escalation who should receive an incident.
- Confirm ownership and delivery. Decide who responds, where incidents arrive, and how planned maintenance is handled. Ensure the relevant people can receive and act on alerts.
Choose alerting and escalation deliberately
Alerts are useful only if they reach someone able to respond. Better Stack documentation lists email, push, SMS, and call options for heartbeat alerts and describes automatic incident creation from monitors and heartbeats. Availability and configuration can depend on the service and plan, so confirm current details with the provider. Better Stack heartbeat monitor documentation
Choose a primary recipient and decide when an unresolved incident should escalate. Allow enough grace for ordinary job variation and account for planned maintenance where the service supports it; otherwise routine delays or maintenance can generate avoidable noise.
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Compare providers against your operating needs
Before selecting a monitoring service, assess the capabilities that affect your workflow rather than treating a long feature list as proof of fit.
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- API assertions: Can it check status and response content, and configure the method, body, and authentication your endpoints need?
- Heartbeat behavior: Does it detect missed runs, allow a suitable grace period, and support explicit failure reporting?
- Frequency and limits: Are available intervals and plan limits appropriate for your detection goals?
- Response workflow: Are the alert channels and escalation options usable by your team?
- Stack fit: Can your jobs and services send the required requests and integrate with your existing configuration?
The documentation linked above establishes how Better Stack describes these features, but it does not provide an apples-to-apples comparison with other providers or establish current pricing across them.
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