Uptime Monitor App Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation:

   composer create-project spatie/uptime-monitor-app uptime-monitor
   cd uptime-monitor
   php artisan key:generate
   

2. Configuration:

   • Edit .env to set APP_URL, MAIL_* (or SLACK_*) credentials, and database settings.
   • Run migrations:

     php artisan migrate
     

3. First Use Case:

   • Add a monitor via the CLI:

     php artisan uptime:monitor --name="My Website" --url="https://example.com" --notify-via="mail"
     

   • Trigger a manual check:

     php artisan uptime:check
     

Key Files to Review

• config/uptime-monitor.php: Core settings (check intervals, thresholds).
• app/Console/Commands/: CLI commands (CheckUptimeCommand, MonitorCommand).
• app/Notifications/: Notification logic (extend for custom channels).

Implementation Patterns

Workflows

1. Monitoring Setup:

   • Use php artisan uptime:monitor to add/remove monitors dynamically.
   • Group monitors by environment (e.g., staging, production) via tags:

     php artisan uptime:monitor --name="API" --url="https://api.example.com" --tags="api,production"
     

2. Check Scheduling:

   • Configure checks via config/uptime-monitor.php:

     'check_every_minutes' => 5,
     'notify_after_minutes' => 2,
     

   • Schedule via Laravel’s scheduler (app/Console/Kernel.php):

     $schedule->command('uptime:check')->everyFiveMinutes();
     

3. Notification Channels:

   • Extend Spatie\UptimeMonitor\Notifications\MonitorNotification for custom channels (e.g., Discord, PagerDuty).
   • Example for Slack:

     'notifications' => [
         'slack' => [
             'webhook_url' => env('SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL'),
             'channel' => '#alerts',
         ],
     ],
     

4. SSL Monitoring:

   • Enable SSL checks in config/uptime-monitor.php:

     'ssl' => [
         'check_every_days' => 7,
         'notify_days_before_expiration' => 30,
     ],
     

   • Add SSL monitors:

     php artisan uptime:monitor --name="SSL Cert" --url="https://example.com" --check-ssl
     

Integration Tips

• Laravel Integration:

  • Use the underlying laravel-uptime-monitor package for deeper Laravel integration (e.g., tie notifications to Laravel’s event system).
  • Access monitor data via Eloquent:

    use Spatie\UptimeMonitor\Models\Monitor;
    $monitors = Monitor::all();
    

• API Access:

  • Expose monitor status via a custom API endpoint:

    Route::get('/api/monitors', function () {
        return Monitor::with('notifications')->get();
    });
    

• Logging:

  • Extend app/Providers/AppServiceProvider to log checks:

    Monitor::created(function ($monitor) {
        Log::info("New monitor added: {$monitor->name}");
    });
    

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Deprecated Package:

   • The package is archived (last release: 2017). Use spatie/laravel-uptime-monitor for active development.
   • Workarounds: Fork the repo or patch locally for critical fixes.

2. PHP 7.3+ Compatibility:

   • May require manual updates to composer.json (e.g., phpunit/phpunit).
   • Test thoroughly after upgrading PHP versions.

3. Notification Delays:

   • If using Slack/email, ensure webhooks/SMTP are configured correctly. Test with:

     php artisan uptime:check --force
     

4. Database Locking:

   • High-frequency checks may cause database contention. Adjust check_every_minutes or use queue workers:

     $schedule->command('uptime:check')->everyMinute()->withoutOverlapping();
     

Debugging

• Check Logs:

  • Enable debug mode in .env (APP_DEBUG=true) and check storage/logs/laravel.log.
  • Tail logs in real-time:

    tail -f storage/logs/laravel.log
    

• Manual Checks:

  • Force a check for a specific monitor:

    php artisan uptime:check --monitor=1
    

• SSL Issues:

  • Verify SSL checks with:

    openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 -servername example.com | openssl x509 -noout -dates
    

Extension Points

1. Custom Notifications:

   • Extend Spatie\UptimeMonitor\Notifications\MonitorNotification:

     namespace App\Notifications;
     use Spatie\UptimeMonitor\Notifications\MonitorNotification;
     
     class CustomNotification extends MonitorNotification {
         public function via($notifiable) {
             return ['custom-channel'];
         }
     }
     

2. Check Logic:

   • Override Spatie\UptimeMonitor\CheckMonitorJob to add custom HTTP headers or assertions:

     public function handle() {
         $response = Http::withHeaders(['X-Custom-Header' => 'value'])->get($this->monitor->url);
         // Custom logic...
     }
     

3. Dashboard:

   • Build a custom dashboard using the Monitor model:

     // Example: List monitors with last check status
     $monitors = Monitor::with(['notifications' => function($query) {
         $query->latest()->limit(1);
     }])->get();
     

4. Queue Workers:

   • Offload checks to a queue (e.g., Redis) to avoid blocking:

     $schedule->job(new \Spatie\UptimeMonitor\CheckMonitorJob($monitor))->everyFiveMinutes();
     

Configuration Quirks

• Environment Variables:

  • Ensure .env variables are loaded (e.g., SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL). Use:

    php artisan config:clear
    

    after changes.

• Timezones:

  • Set APP_TIMEZONE in .env to match your monitoring expectations (e.g., UTC).

• HTTPS Enforcement:

  • SSL checks may fail if the server redirects http to https. Use --check-ssl carefully for HTTP-only sites.