Monitoring windows: run checks only when traffic should exist
Not every outage outside trading hours deserves the same response. SitePuls monitors can stay on “always,” or use a custom window: active weekdays, start/end times, and optional overnight ranges. When the clock is outside that window, scheduled checks are skipped instead of hitting production during planned quiet periods.
What the product stores on each monitor
Each monitor records a window mode (always vs custom), optional from/to times in HH:MM, and a weekday bitmask so Monday through Sunday can be toggled independently—matching the fields you see when editing a monitor after sign-in.
How checks behave inside the window
While the current time matches an active day and falls between the configured times, the scheduler runs your synthetic checks on the same cadence your plan allows for that monitor type.
What happens outside the window
Outside the configured schedule the worker intentionally skips scans and reschedules the next due time. The dashboard can show an “outside monitoring window” style state rather than treating the skip as a mysterious failure—align on-call expectations with that behaviour.
Overnight ranges
Ranges that cross midnight—such as 22:00 through 06:00—are supported the same way the model evaluates minutes in UTC inside the product logic, so night batches stay grouped in one window definition.
Compared to pausing monitors
Pausing stops everything until you unpause. Windows automate recurring quiet hours without removing alert contacts or history—useful for batch jobs that should only be watched during office hours.
Relation to SLA reporting
Reporting still reflects incident history for periods when checks actually ran; combine disciplined windows with SLA views when stakeholders ask about uptime only during contractual hours.
What SitePuls does not do
No per-region holiday calendars shipped as defaults, no automatic blackout sync with external PTO tools—define windows explicitly in the monitor form.
Next steps
List monitors that should stay 24/7, identify noisy checks that only matter in business hours, then convert those to custom windows and verify the dashboard state during a deliberate off-window minute.
What you can verify with SitePuls here
- Monitors store window_mode (always vs custom), optional HH:MM from/to times, and a weekday bitmask—matching create/edit forms in the app.
- When the current UTC time is outside the active window, the scheduler skips running synthetic checks and reschedules the next due time instead of probing the target.
- The UI can surface an “outside monitoring window” style state so operators distinguish intentional skips from transport failures.
- Overnight ranges that wrap past midnight are evaluated in the same minute-based logic the Site model uses for custom windows.
Where incident alerts can go
- Email addresses saved as alert contacts receive messages when incidents open or resolve (according to your notification settings).
- Telegram notifications via the SitePuls bot after you link a chat to an alert contact (including the bot /start flow for pending contacts).
- HTTPS webhooks that receive JSON with event type, monitor identifiers, status, timestamp, optional incident id, and a short message for generic integrations.
- Slack-compatible incoming-webhook formatting: alert contacts can use a dedicated mode so payloads match Slack-style incoming webhook expectations.
FAQ
Does a skipped check open an incident?
Skips tied to the monitoring window are intentional; they should not be interpreted as synthetic failures the way a real timeout would be.
Can I mix always-on and windowed monitors?
Yes—configure each monitor independently so critical APIs stay always while internal dashboards use windows.
What timezone applies?
The product evaluates windows against server UTC timestamps as implemented today—confirm displayed times in the UI when coordinating global teams.
Do heartbeats respect windows?
Heartbeats still age based on expected intervals; combine documentation in-app with your runbook for jobs that pause overnight.
Can windows reduce alert noise?
They prevent off-hours checks from firing, which lowers false escalations when downtime is expected.
Are maintenance silences the same thing?
Windows are recurring rules on the monitor record; one-off maintenance may still use pause controls if your workflow requires it.
Do mobile clients edit windows?
Window fields originate from the same monitor model the web UI edits—mobile parity follows whichever fields the mobile API exposes for your build.
Where do I configure it?
Open monitor create/edit in the signed-in app, expand the monitoring window section, choose custom days and times, then save.