# Add a monitor

> Set up a check to watch a website, API, certificate, DNS record or anything else, and get told when something's wrong.

Source: https://infranest.io/docs/add-a-monitor
Last updated: 2026-09-14

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Set up a check to watch a website, API, certificate, DNS record, or anything else, and get notified the moment something goes wrong. This article is for anyone who wants InfraNest to keep an eye on a service for them.

## Overview

- Monitors are checks that run on a schedule to confirm something is working — a website, an API endpoint, a certificate, a DNS record, and more.
- If a check fails, InfraNest can alert you through the channels you set up.
- You can fine-tune each check with regions, response-time thresholds, and alerting rules.

## Add a monitor

1. Go to **Monitors** and select **Add monitor**.
2. Choose the type of check you want (for example **HTTP / website monitoring**, **API monitor**, **Ping monitor**, **Port monitoring**, **Keyword monitoring**, **DNS monitoring**, **SSL & Domain**, or **Heartbeat / Cron monitor**), then enter the address to check under **URL to monitor** (or the equivalent field for that type).

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3. Set the **Check interval** (how often it runs) and fill in any settings specific to that type, such as the **Keyword to find in response** or the DNS **Record type** and **Target**.
4. Optionally, fine-tune the check further:
   - **Slow response threshold (ms)** — mark the check as degraded if it's up but slower than this.
   - **Probe regions** — choose which regions run the check, and how many must agree before the status changes.
   - **IPv4 only**, **IPv6 only**, or **Prefer IPv4 (recommended)** / **Prefer IPv6**.
   - **Alerting** — choose where alerts for this check are sent.
5. Select **Test connection** to confirm your settings work, then select **Save**.

> [!TIP]
> The **Create monitor** form offers **Suggested** presets, suggests a **Monitor name** from the address you entered, and lets you **Add all** checks from resources you already have in InfraNest.

## Manage a monitor

1. Go to **Monitors** and select **Open monitor** on the one you want to review.
2. Check the **Recent checks**, **Uptime**, and **Response time** for that monitor.
3. Use **Pause monitor** or **Resume monitor** to turn checking on or off temporarily.
4. Use **Silence alerts** and choose **Silence for** a set time if you don't want notifications right now — select **Unsilence** to turn them back on.
5. Under **Dependencies**, use **Add parent** or **Add child** to link this monitor to another one, or **Remove dependency** to unlink it.

## Tips

> [!NOTE]
> Faster check intervals may require a higher plan — you'll see **Faster checks need a higher plan** if that's the case.

- Use **Clone monitor** to quickly create a similar check without starting from scratch.
- Use **Edit monitor** at any time to change settings, and **Delete monitor** if you no longer need the check.