Uptime Monitoring — Free Tier, Multi-Region Checks, Instant Alerts

What is uptime monitoring?

Uptime monitoring is the practice of continuously checking whether a website, API, or service is accessible and responding correctly. A monitoring service sends periodic requests to your endpoint and records the response status, time, and content. When a check fails — due to server downtime, network issues, or application errors — the service alerts you immediately so you can respond before users are affected.

Status Shuttle performs these checks from cloud servers at configurable intervals (as short as 30 seconds on the Plus plan). It supports multiple monitor types: HTTP/HTTPS for web services, Keyword for content verification, Ping for server reachability, TCP for port connectivity, and SSL for certificate expiration.

Why uptime monitoring matters

• Revenue protection — every minute of downtime can cost money: lost transactions, abandoned carts, missed leads. Early detection means faster resolution and less impact on revenue.
• Customer trust — users expect 99.9% uptime. A single outage can drive customers to competitors. Public status pages show transparency.
• SLA compliance — if you promise 99.9% uptime in your SLA, you need monitoring data to prove compliance and identify violations.
• Proactive issue detection — catch problems before users report them. Response time degradation often precedes full outages.
• Third-party dependency monitoring — your service depends on external APIs, CDNs, and databases. Monitor them to know when the problem isn't yours.

Common monitoring types

HTTP/HTTPS Monitoring

Sends an HTTP GET or POST request to your URL and checks the response status code. Status Shuttle supports GET, POST, and HEAD methods with custom headers and request bodies. Expected status code is configurable (default: 200).

Keyword Monitoring

Fetches a page and verifies it contains (or doesn't contain) specific text. Useful for checking that a health endpoint returns {"status":"ok"} or that an error message isn't present on a page.

Ping Monitoring

Checks server reachability via TCP port 80. Available on Pro plan and above. Enter a domain or IP address (e.g., google.com).

TCP Port Monitoring

Verifies that a specific port is open and accepting connections. Format: host:port (e.g., db.example.com:3306). Available on Pro plan and above.

SSL Certificate Monitoring

Monitors SSL certificate expiration. Alerts when the certificate expires within 30 days. Available on Pro plan and above. Enter a domain (e.g., example.com).

How to set up uptime monitoring with Status Shuttle

1. Create a free account at status.shuttlelab.org/login. The first user to register automatically becomes the admin.
2. Add a monitor — click “Add Monitor” in the dashboard. Enter a name (e.g., “Production API”) and the target URL (e.g., https://api.example.com/health).
3. Choose monitor type — HTTP(S) for web services, Keyword for content checks, Ping/TCP/SSL for infrastructure (Pro+ only).
4. Set check interval — Free: 5/10/30/60 minutes. Pro: 1/2/3/5 minutes. Plus: 30 seconds to 60 minutes with custom intervals.
5. Configure alerts — add Telegram, Discord, Webhook, or Email alert channels. Each channel can be tested before enabling.
6. Click “Create” — monitoring starts immediately. The first check runs within the configured interval.

Free tier limits and when to upgrade

Status Shuttle's free plan is designed for indie developers and small projects:

• 10 monitors — enough for most personal projects and small APIs
• 5-minute minimum interval — detects most outages within 5-10 minutes
• HTTP(S) and Keyword types — covers 90% of web monitoring needs
• 2 alert channels — e.g., Telegram + Email
• 7-day log retention — recent history for debugging

Upgrade to Pro ($5/year) when you need: faster checks (1-minute intervals), more monitor types (Ping, TCP, SSL), more monitors (up to 50), or longer history (90 days). Plus ($20/year) adds 30-second intervals, 200 monitors, unlimited alert channels, and 365-day retention.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is uptime monitoring?

Uptime monitoring is the practice of continuously checking whether a website, API, or service is accessible and responding correctly. Status Shuttle performs these checks from cloud servers at configurable intervals (as short as 30 seconds on the Plus plan) and alerts you instantly when downtime is detected.

How many monitors does the free plan include?

Status Shuttle's free plan includes 10 monitors with a minimum 5-minute check interval. It supports HTTP(S) and Keyword monitor types, 2 alert channels, and 7-day log retention. No credit card required.

What monitor types are available?

Status Shuttle supports 5 monitor types: HTTP/HTTPS (checks status codes and response times), Keyword (verifies page content contains specific text), Ping (checks server reachability via TCP port 80), TCP Port (verifies port connectivity), and SSL (monitors certificate expiration). Ping, TCP, and SSL require Pro plan or above.

How fast are the uptime checks?

Check intervals depend on your plan: Free plan starts at 5 minutes, Pro plan at 1 minute, and Plus plan at 30 seconds. Custom intervals are available on the Plus plan. Most outages are detected within 1-2 check cycles.

Does Status Shuttle support multi-region monitoring?

Currently, checks run from GCP servers routed through Cloudflare's network. Multi-region monitoring with nodes in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific is planned for a future release. The existing infrastructure provides reliable global reachability checks.