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Getting Started ​

Pingward is an API monitoring platform that helps you ensure your endpoints, services, and scheduled jobs are working correctly. This guide will help you get up and running.

Prefer AI agents?

If you use Claude Code, Cursor, or another MCP-compatible agent, you can set up monitoring in a single conversation. See Setup with AI.

Core Concepts ​

Tests ​

A test is a configured request that Pingward executes on a schedule. Pingward supports five protocol types: HTTP, GraphQL, gRPC, MCP Server, and A2A Agent. Each test can include:

  • Target URL and protocol-specific configuration
  • Headers, request body, and authentication credentials
  • Assertions to validate the response
  • A schedule (how often to run)

Heartbeat Monitors ​

A heartbeat monitor is an inbound check — instead of Pingward calling your endpoint, your job or process pings Pingward on a schedule. If a ping is missed, Pingward creates an alert. Use heartbeats for cron jobs, background workers, data pipelines, and any process that runs on a schedule.

Issues ​

When a test fails or a heartbeat is missed, Pingward creates an issue. Issues group related failures together so you're not flooded with alerts for the same underlying problem. Issues can also be created manually for situations not detected by automated monitoring. When linked to an escalation policy, issues drive a multi-tier notification workflow until acknowledged or resolved.

Integrations ​

Integrations are notification channels — Email, Slack, SMS, or webhooks. When issues occur, Pingward sends alerts through your configured integrations.

Routing Rules ​

Routing rules determine which integrations receive alerts for which issues. You can route based on severity, error category, specific tests, or tags. Rules can optionally link to an escalation policy.

Escalation Policies ​

Escalation policies define multi-tier notification workflows. If a tier goes unacknowledged, the next tier is notified automatically. Tiers can target integrations or on-call schedules.

On-Call Schedules ​

On-call schedules define who is responsible for responding to issues at any given time. Schedules support daily and weekly rotations with automatic handoff between team members.

Quick Start ​

  1. Create your first test

    • Go to Tests → New Test
    • Enter your endpoint URL
    • Configure assertions (e.g., status code 200)
    • Set the frequency (e.g., every 5 minutes)

  2. Set up notifications

    • Go to Integrations → New Integration
    • Configure your preferred channel (Slack, Email, etc.)
    • Go to Routing Rules → New Rule
    • Create a routing rule to send alerts to this integration

  3. Monitor scheduled jobs (optional)

    • Go to Heartbeat Monitors → Create Monitor
    • Configure the expected interval and grace period
    • Integrate the ping URL into your job or cron task

  4. Set up incident response (optional)

    • Create an on-call schedule with your team rotation
    • Create an escalation policy with notification tiers
    • Link escalation policies to your routing rules

  5. Monitor your dashboard

    • The dashboard shows overall availability for all monitor types
    • Active issues appear with their severity and escalation status
    • Heartbeat monitor health is tracked alongside test results

Next Steps ​

Pingward - API Monitoring Made Simple

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