WatchPush check-ins
Your job, worker or device sends a simple HTTP ping each cycle — WatchControl tracks the rhythm and notices when it stops.
Heartbeat monitoring
A dead man’s switch for your background jobs
Backups, queue workers, sync tasks and IoT devices fail quietly. WatchControl expects a regular check-in from each one and raises the alarm the moment it goes missing.
Interval + grace
Define the expected interval and a grace window, so only a genuinely missed beat triggers an alert.
Backups & workers
Ideal for nightly backups, queue consumers, ETL jobs and anything that should run on a schedule but has no public URL.
Works anywhere
Outbound HTTP only — no inbound firewall changes, no agent to install.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is a heartbeat (dead man's switch) monitor?
Instead of WatchControl checking your service, your scheduled job pings WatchControl. If the expected ping does not arrive in time, the silence itself triggers an alert.
How do I send a heartbeat?
Your cron job or worker makes a simple HTTP request to a unique URL when it finishes. Miss the window and you are alerted.
What if a job runs late, not just fails?
You set the expected period and a grace window, so both a missed run and a late run can raise an alert.
Is heartbeat monitoring on the free plan?
Yes — it is one of the nine monitor types available on every plan.
Add a heartbeat free
Create a heartbeat monitor and start checking in — no credit card.