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How do websites avoid downtime?

Companies use redundancies in hardware to ensure that backup systems are ready if an outage occurs. Load balancers and data centers assist with keeping performance optimal while monitoring services keep tabs on websites, servers, APIs, and web applications for overall function.

Should any issue arise, the check website outage service will notify support teams immediately so repairs can be made promptly.

Uptime monitoring

Uptime monitoring, also known as website and availability monitoring, utilizes a network of computers (checkpoints) to send out requests, such as pings, and connects to servers. These monitors check the response times and codes, which are then reported back.

If visitors ask questions like “is Snapchat down?” or there is a longer-than-expected response time, the service will sound off an alert – but only after double-checking from another checkpoint first.

Performance and function monitoring

Uptime and advanced monitoring are suitable for detecting system outages but do not provide much insight into website performance or functionality.

For more exhaustive checks of your websites, Web Performance Monitoring, Web Application Monitoring, and API Monitoring are the answer. These powerful tools will take availability monitoring to greater heights than ever before.

Advanced availability monitoring

It utilizes specialized processes to determine the availability of specific servers or functions. Companies can use this comprehensive monitoring tool for a variety of tasks, such as:

  • verifying TLS/SSL certificates and content;
  • assessing DNS health and required fields on an entry;
  • communicating with POP3, SMTP, and IMAP email servers querying MySQL and SQL Server databases;
  • checking FTPs & SFTPs downloads.
Website monitoring

Web performance monitoring

Performance monitors do more than send and receive requests; they use actual browsers such as Chrome and Edge to make the request, then check the response for potential errors.

In addition, each checkpoint will load all of the response’s content into a browser to execute subsequent bids or loading scripts. This ensures that everything is running at optimal speed with no issues on your website.

The monitor detects the functioning of each page element, providing an intuitive waterfall chart for easy analysis. Waterfall reports simplify root-cause diagnosis by pinpointing any underperforming details (third party or native) and furnishing frontend and backend performance information on every aspect.

API monitoring

End-users and SaaS businesses rely heavily on their public API functions to stay connected. But when an API fails, more than just the API is taken offline – mobile applications cease working, web content doesn’t load correctly, and backend processes are no longer operational.

We need to use API Monitoring, which essentially reduces downtime by identifying real-time failures so that API issues can be mitigated before they can affect users of said APIs.

Web application monitoring

The site might seem to be running, but it may not work as intended. This is a form of downtime. With web applications or transaction monitoring, websites can ensure that their sites always perform optimally.

These checkpoints use scripts that mimic regular users to test login forms, shopping carts, web forms, and payment processes while verifying server responsiveness and page content accuracy.

Although downtime is often inevitable, the correct support services and monitoring solutions can help you reduce it to a negligible state. Service providers strive for maximum uptime (99.99%), with many of them reaching their desired goal. Another tool for providers to observe their web presence is Real User Monitoring (RUM).

It provides a provider with an understanding of the user’s experience through Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM), which cannot be attained from uptime monitoring. Additionally, RUM gives performance details such as the user’s location, browser version and type, operating system version and type, device model, and page view.

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