Website POST Configuration Guide on the Elven Platform

With Website POST from the Elven Platform, you can monitor your services in a simple and efficient way using the POST method of the HTTP protocol. This feature is perfect for tracking the performance of APIs, forms, or any other resource that requires data submission.

The idea is to make your life easier: you can configure automatic checks, receive real-time alerts, and even set rules for automatic incident creation whenever something goes off track. All of this ensures you're aware of any issues before they impact your users.

And the best part: there's no need to install agents in your infrastructure. Website POST uses Elven Platform’s external agent network, which performs monitoring externally, just like your services are accessed in real-world scenarios.

In other words, you don’t need to create environments, configure clouds, or worry about setting up an agent. You can simply configure your monitoring in a faster, lighter, and more flexible way.

Let’s talk a bit about the HTTP POST method, an essential tool when it comes to sending data to the server. Unlike the GET method, which only retrieves information, POST sends data in the body of the request, allowing for more complete interactions with services.

This means that by using POST, you can create new resources, update information, or trigger specific actions on the server. It’s this flexibility that makes POST so powerful, especially when dealing with more complex services like APIs that require authentication, dynamic parameters, or backend business logic.

In the context of monitoring, it becomes a valuable ally, as it allows you to simulate real interactions with your systems—testing not only if they are online, but also if they are responding correctly to expected operations.

Accessing the Website POST

• Navigate to the main menu and click on Services Hub.

• Under Internet Services, select the Website POST item.

Resource Monitoring

Monitoring the availability of your services has never been easier. Start by giving a clear name to the resource you want to track (Resource Name) to make identification easier. Then, adjust the interval between checks (Interval) and the response timeout (Timeout).

Select the cloud where the monitoring agent is located (Checkpoint Cloud), such as AWS, and choose the specific region (Checkpoint), like N. Virginia, to ensure maximum accuracy. This setup uses the default agent from the Elven Platform, eliminating the need to create a new environment. Add the Healthcheck URL, and if needed, configure advanced options such as Skip SSL Validation or enable TLS Renegotiation to meet specific security requirements.

Use the available fields to customize monitoring requests. For example, include custom headers (Header and Value); to add more than one header, use the + button. Also, define a Validation String to validate specific responses. These steps help ensure that the collected data accurately reflects the state of the monitored resource, providing valuable insights and proactive support for your operations.

The ability to configure the HTTP request body type is essential for sending data to the server properly, meeting the specific needs of each application. You can choose between "Raw" and "application/x-www-form-urlencoded".

In the first configuration, you can select the "Raw" option and define the desired format, such as JSON, XML, Plain Text, HTML, or JavaScript. This approach offers flexibility for sending structured data, making it ideal for scenarios where complex objects, like JSON payloads, need to be transmitted. The configuration is highly versatile, allowing you to customize the data sent in a direct and efficient way. In Post Body, include the data to be sent in the POST request. This data can be in JSON, XML, or other supported formats.

In the second configuration, the "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" format is used, which is widely adopted in web forms. In this case, the data is organized as key-value pairs, making it a lightweight and compatible option for servers expecting information in a more traditional format. This setup is recommended for simple and quick integrations.

Automatic Incident Opening

You can configure automatic incident opening to ensure a quick response to critical issues. To begin, define the incident severity, allowing you to prioritize according to urgency. Next, adjust the Check Interval, specifying the check frequency in seconds to continuously monitor the resource. This helps ensure you're always one step ahead, detecting problems as soon as they arise.

Additionally, select the team to be notified whenever an incident occurs and enable the "Enable to set up automatic incidents opening" option to ensure the configuration is active. With this setup, the platform automates incident management, making the response process faster and more efficient, without the need for manual intervention. This ensures your team is always ready to resolve any issue with speed and precision.

Maintenance Window

We also have the Maintenance Window, an essential feature for managing planned maintenance periods in your application. During this time frame, checks are temporarily paused, preventing monitoring, alerts, and notifications from being triggered while you perform updates or adjustments. This allows maintenance to proceed smoothly, without generating unnecessary notifications or false alarms, ensuring your operations continue in an orderly manner without unexpected interruptions in performance reports.

For example, imagine you need to update the payment system of an e-commerce platform by making backend adjustments, such as installing new security certificates. To do this, you can configure the Maintenance Window for a specific time, such as 12/13/2024, from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM. During this period, the Elven Platform suspends checks, preventing the monitoring system from logging temporary failures or triggering false alerts. This way, you can make the necessary changes calmly, knowing that the monitoring system won’t be affected during maintenance. This approach ensures the update is carried out in an organized manner, without impacting the user experience or generating unwanted notifications.

Application Opening Hours

You can also rely on the Application Opening Hours feature, which allows you to configure your application's operating hours. This functionality is essential for customizing monitoring based on the periods when your application is actually active, avoiding alerts and notifications outside of business hours. This way, monitoring becomes more aligned with your business’s real needs, ensuring more accurate reports and efficient management.

For example, imagine your application operates only from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. You can configure the Application Opening Hours to reflect this schedule by specifying the working days and hours. With this setup, the Elven Platform automatically disables checks outside of these hours, preventing the logging of failures that don’t affect end users and avoiding unnecessary alerts. This approach optimizes performance analysis, focusing only on relevant periods and providing a clearer view of your application’s health during its operating hours.

Glossary of Technical Terms

POST: An HTTP protocol method used to send data to the server. It can change the server's state by creating or updating resources.

Resource Name: A unique name assigned to the monitored resource to make it easier to identify.

Interval: The time, in seconds, between checks performed by the platform to monitor the resource.

Timeout: The maximum time to wait for a response before considering the check as failed.

Checkpoint Cloud: The cloud provider where the monitoring agent is located, such as AWS or other supported clouds.

Checkpoint: The specific region in the cloud where the agent is configured, such as N. Virginia.

Healthcheck URL: The URL address used to perform checks on the monitored resource.

Request Body: The data sent in the body of the POST request to the monitored resource.

Header: Additional information sent in the HTTP request to customize or authenticate the monitoring.

Validation String: A string of characters used to validate the response from the resource and ensure it matches expectations.

Skip SSL Validation: A setting that bypasses SSL certificate validation during the check.

TLS Renegotiation: An option that allows renegotiation of TLS security protocols if needed.

Check Interval: The frequency, in seconds, at which the platform performs checks.

Enable to set up automatic incidents opening: A setting that enables the automatic creation of incidents in case of failures.

Incident Severity: The priority level assigned to the incident based on its criticality.