List critical endpoints

Write down health, auth, checkout, webhooks, and partner APIs. Mark which failures block users versus internal-only tools.

Define status and body checks

Decide expected HTTP codes and, where useful, JSON fields or keywords. Avoid brittle assertions on volatile content.

Set latency thresholds

Baseline normal response time, then alert when probes cross a threshold that would hurt clients or SLAs you communicate.

Choose check intervals

Balance freshness with API rate limits and your monitoring plan. Critical paths may need shorter intervals than low-risk read APIs.

Route alerts and owners

Assign email, Telegram, or webhook contacts per service. Document who acknowledges incidents and who can roll back or scale.

Run a failure drill

Trigger a controlled failure or maintenance window once to confirm alerts arrive and your runbook steps are realistic.

Practical monitoring guide

Example content below is illustrative — values are placeholders, not live customer data.

Endpoint coverage checklist

• Public health or version endpoint reachable without special headers.
• Critical read paths used by dashboards, mobile apps or partner integrations.
• Write paths that block revenue or core workflows when they fail.
• Staging or canary URLs if you validate releases before full production traffic.

Status and response checks

• Expected HTTP status per endpoint — not every path should return 200.
• Optional body or JSON field assertions for health payloads.
• Timeout values that reflect real client tolerance, not only server defaults.

Alert routing checklist

• Primary on-call contact plus a backup for vacation and timezone gaps.
• Separate routing for staging noise vs production-critical failures when possible.
• Test delivery after setup — a silent alert channel is worse than no monitor.

Incident response checklist

• Confirm the failure from an external check, not only internal dashboards.
• Note start time, affected endpoint and last known good deploy.
• Post recovery, review whether interval, threshold or coverage should change.

Frequently asked questions

How many API monitors do I need?

At least one per critical endpoint or user journey. Separate monitors make it clear which dependency failed.

Should I monitor staging APIs?

Optional. Many teams monitor production first, then add staging when pre-release checks matter for their process.

What alert channels work best?

Use channels your on-call team actually reads—email, Telegram, or webhooks into chat or ticketing tools.

Does SitePuls support multi-step API flows?

Yes. REST monitors can run chained requests when tokens or session cookies are required.