Not every check needs a full browser session. Sometimes you just need to know: is this endpoint up? Is it responding in a reasonable time? Is it returning the right status code?
What Are Heartbeats?
Heartbeats are lightweight HTTP monitors. You give us a URL, we hit it on a schedule and verify the response. Simple, fast, and cheap to run compared to full journey tests.
Configuration Options
Each heartbeat supports:
- HTTP method — GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE
- Custom headers — auth tokens, API keys, content types
- Request body — for POST/PUT requests
- Expected status code — default 200, but set it to 201, 204, or even 404 if that's what you expect
- Response time threshold — alert if the response takes longer than your threshold
When to Use Heartbeats vs Journeys
Use heartbeats for API health checks, webhook endpoint verification, and simple uptime monitoring. Use journeys when you need to test actual user flows that involve multiple pages, form submissions, or JavaScript-rendered content.
Most teams use both: heartbeats for their APIs and infrastructure, journeys for their critical user-facing flows.