Catch Issues Before Users Do

Netdata provides infrastructure-level synthetic checks including HTTP/HTTPS endpoints (REST, GraphQL, SOAP), TCP/UDP port monitoring, DNS queries (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, PTR, TXT, SOA, SRV), TLS/SSL certificate validation, ICMP/UDP ping, and SMTP with STARTTLS. All checks run at per-second granularity with ML-based anomaly detection. For browser-based testing or multi-step transactions, we recommend combining Netdata with specialized tools like Checkly or Grafana k6.

Netdata charges predictable per-node pricing with unlimited synthetic checks, metrics, and users. Traditional platforms charge per-execution fees that quickly escalate with scale. Netdata’s pricing model typically delivers 90% cost reduction compared to traditional synthetic monitoring platforms. See our pricing page for volume discounts.

Netdata excels at infrastructure-level synthetic checks (APIs, certificates, DNS, ports, network) and provides significant value at 90% lower cost. However, Netdata does NOT support browser-based testing (Selenium/Playwright), multi-step transactions, or user journey simulation. For comprehensive coverage, we recommend: Netdata for infrastructure synthetic (APIs, certs, DNS) + Checkly/k6 for application journeys (checkout flows, user registration). This combined approach delivers substantial cost savings versus all-in-one platforms while maintaining complete coverage.

Netdata detects failures in 5-10 seconds with per-second data collection and sub-2-second total latency from event to dashboard. Traditional platforms check every 1-5 minutes, missing transient failures and delaying detection. For example, an API timeout lasting 10 seconds is invisible to minute-based monitoring (hidden in averages) but immediately visible in Netdata. This 10× faster detection enables 80% reduction in MTTR by catching issues before they cascade.

Netdata uses a distributed architecture where you deploy agents in your chosen locations - behind firewalls, at edge sites, in retail stores, across hybrid clouds. Unlike managed PoP networks limited to cloud data centers, Netdata enables testing from actual user locations with zero per-location fees. Each agent performs local checks with full ML and alerting, aggregating via Netdata Parents or Netdata Cloud for unified visibility. Trade-off: Requires infrastructure provisioning versus instant managed coverage.

Netdata trains 18 unsupervised ML models per metric using k-means clustering with different time windows. Anomalies are flagged only when ALL 18 models agree (consensus-based detection), achieving 99% false positive reduction in anomaly detection. Additionally, pre-configured alerts use intelligent thresholds (rolling windows, trend analysis, hysteresis protection) and configurable delays to filter transient issues. Learn more about Netdata’s ML approach.

Yes. Netdata agents deploy anywhere - behind firewalls, in private networks, at edge locations. Each agent performs local synthetic checks without requiring external access. For centralized dashboards, agents stream metadata (not raw data) to Netdata Parents within your infrastructure or optionally to Netdata Cloud via outbound-only encrypted connections. All observability data stays on-premises, ensuring compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. For air-gapped environments, Netdata Cloud On-Premises provides the full control plane within your datacenter.

Synthetic checks proactively test endpoints from monitoring locations (“Is the API available?”), while Real User Monitoring (RUM) captures actual user experiences (“Are real users experiencing slowness?”). Netdata provides synthetic checks for proactive monitoring. This approach enables infrastructure-level validation and early detection of issues before they impact users.

Synthetic checks use simple YAML configuration files. Example for HTTP endpoint monitoring:

jobs:
  - name: api_health
    url: https://api.example.com/health
    method: GET
    status_accepted: [200]
    response_match: '"status":"ok"'
    timeout: 5
    update_every: 10  # Every 10 seconds

Dashboards generate automatically, alerts are pre-configured, and ML models train within 15 minutes. No Terraform complexity, no Docker mount issues, no iframe debugging. See our synthetic checks documentation for complete configuration examples.

Netdata does NOT provide native multi-step transaction support or stateful session management across requests. For e-commerce checkout flows, user registration sequences, or complex user journeys, use specialized tools like Checkly (Playwright-native), Grafana k6 (JavaScript scripting), or Datadog Synthetics. Netdata excels at infrastructure-level checks (API availability, certificate validation, DNS resolution, port reachability) with simple YAML configuration - eliminating the script maintenance burden that consumes majority of team time with browser-based testing.

Yes. Netdata integrates with existing observability stacks through multiple methods: Export metrics to Prometheus, InfluxDB, Graphite, OpenTSDB, TimescaleDB; Scrape endpoints via Prometheus format; Ingest data via OpenTelemetry (metrics and logs); Trigger alerts via webhooks to PagerDuty, Slack, Teams, Opsgenie; Visualize in Grafana using the native Netdata datasource plugin; Execute Nagios plugins via scripts.d (4,000+ plugins). Netdata can complement or replace existing tools depending on your needs. See our integrations page for complete options.

The 14-day free trial includes unlimited nodes, all Business plan features (unlimited dashboards, 60-day alert retention, AI sessions, SSO, SCIM, Windows monitoring), and full access to synthetic checks, ML anomaly detection, AI troubleshooting, and unified observability. No credit card required. After the trial, choose from Community (free for personal use, 5 nodes), Homelab (unlimited nodes for personal use), or Business (for commercial use). Start your trial at app.netdata.cloud.

Netdata’s x509check collector automatically discovers and monitors TLS/SSL certificates, domain expiration, and certificate chains. Pre-configured alerts warn 30-90 days before expiration (configurable thresholds). The collector validates certificate revocation (OCSP/CRL), supports client certificates (mTLS), and tracks custom CA bundles. All certificate metrics include ML-based anomaly detection for unusual expiration patterns. Unlike manual tracking or separate tools, Netdata provides unified certificate monitoring alongside infrastructure metrics and synthetic checks. See x509 certificate monitoring documentation.

When a synthetic check fails, Netdata: (1) Detects the failure within 5-10 seconds via per-second monitoring; (2) Evaluates pre-configured alerts (e.g., httpcheck_web_service_up) with intelligent thresholds and hysteresis protection; (3) Triggers multi-channel notifications (email, Slack, PagerDuty, Teams, webhooks) with role-based routing; (4) Displays anomaly ribbons on affected charts with ML-detected patterns; (5) Enables one-click ‘Ask AI’ for natural language root cause analysis; (6) Correlates failure with infrastructure metrics, logs, and related anomalies via Anomaly Advisor. Total time from failure to actionable insight: 10-30 seconds versus 1-5 minutes for traditional platforms.

Yes. Netdata’s httpcheck collector supports multiple authentication methods: Basic authentication (username/password), Bearer tokens (OAuth, JWT), Custom headers (API keys, custom auth schemes), Cookie-based sessions (session persistence across requests). Credentials are encrypted in configuration files and never leave your infrastructure. Example configuration:

jobs:
  - name: authenticated_api
    url: https://api.example.com/v1/data
    headers:
      Authorization: "Bearer ${API_TOKEN}"
    status_accepted: [200, 201]
    update_every: 10

See HTTP endpoint monitoring documentation for complete authentication examples.

Netdata provides significantly more capabilities than basic uptime monitors: (1) Granularity: Per-second checks versus 1-minute intervals; (2) Intelligence: ML-based anomaly detection versus static thresholds; (3) Integration: Unified with infrastructure metrics, logs, and AI troubleshooting versus standalone uptime; (4) Cost: Predictable per-node pricing with unlimited checks versus per-monitor pricing; (5) Coverage: HTTP, TCP, DNS, TLS, ping, plus full infrastructure monitoring versus uptime-only. Trade-off: Pingdom/UptimeRobot offer instant managed PoP networks (100+ locations), while Netdata requires agent deployment. For organizations with existing infrastructure, Netdata delivers significantly more value at lower cost.

Netdata does NOT provide native WebSocket or gRPC monitoring. Workarounds: (1) Monitor HTTP upgrade endpoints for WebSocket connections; (2) Monitor HTTP/2 health check endpoints for gRPC services; (3) Use Nagios plugins via scripts.d for protocol-specific checks; (4) Deploy external exporters (Prometheus Blackbox Exporter) and scrape into Netdata; (5) Monitor service health via standard HTTP/TCP endpoints. For comprehensive WebSocket/gRPC monitoring, consider specialized tools like Datadog Synthetics or Middleware, then correlate with Netdata’s infrastructure observability.

Yes. Netdata exports synthetic check metrics through multiple formats: Prometheus format (scrape endpoint at :19999/api/v1/allmetrics?format=prometheus); OpenMetrics (standard exposition format); Graphite (plaintext protocol); OpenTSDB (telnet/HTTP API); InfluxDB (line protocol); JSON (REST API v3); TimescaleDB (PostgreSQL extension); AWS Kinesis (data streams); MongoDB (document storage). All synthetic check metrics (response times, success rates, timeouts, status codes) are exportable with full historical data. See exporting metrics documentation for configuration examples.

Netdata is designed for zero learning curve: (1) Install agent in 60 seconds with one-line command; (2) Configure checks with simple 8-line YAML files; (3) Dashboards generate automatically with anomaly ribbons; (4) Alerts are pre-configured (400+ templates); (5) ML models train automatically in 15 minutes; (6) No query languages required (no PromQL, SQL, or custom DSLs); (7) Point-and-click analytics via NIDL framework. Engineers are productive immediately - no weeks of training, no dashboard building, no threshold tuning. For comparison, traditional platforms require extensive configuration with complex JSON objects and frequent troubleshooting.

Netdata supports scheduled monitoring pauses during planned downtime: (1) Configure maintenance windows in alert definitions; (2) Suspend monitoring for specific checks or entire nodes; (3) Prevent false alerts during deployments or infrastructure changes; (4) Exclude maintenance periods from SLA calculations; (5) Resume monitoring automatically after window expires. Maintenance windows are configured via YAML files or Netdata Cloud UI (paid plans). During maintenance, data collection continues (for historical analysis) but alerts are suppressed. This eliminates false positive problems during planned maintenance.

Yes. Netdata monitors cloud provider APIs through multiple methods: (1) Direct HTTP endpoint monitoring for API health checks; (2) Cloud-specific collectors for CloudWatch (AWS), Azure Monitor, GCP metrics; (3) OpenTelemetry integration for cloud-native telemetry; (4) Prometheus scraping for cloud exporters; (5) Custom collectors for cloud-specific APIs. Netdata agents deploy in cloud environments (EC2, Azure VMs, GCE) or on-premises to monitor cloud APIs. All cloud metrics integrate with synthetic checks, infrastructure monitoring, and ML anomaly detection in unified dashboards. See cloud monitoring solutions for provider-specific guides.