Having a website or web application that goes down unexpectedly can be detrimental for any online business. According to research from HDI, the average cost of IT downtime is $245,841 per incident. That‘s why having a synthetic monitoring solution in place is essential.
What is synthetic monitoring?
Synthetic monitoring simulates user journeys through scripts that carry out actions on your site or application. It can check that key pages load properly, transactions complete successfully, and more. This helps you identify issues before customers encounter them.
Unlike real user monitoring, synthetic monitoring takes a proactive approach. It runs 24/7, constantly testing and gathering performance data from multiple geographic locations. When problems do crop up, alerts are triggered immediately so you can address them.
Key Benefits of Synthetic Monitoring
- Find issues before customers do
- Monitor uptime and availability 24/7
- Test transactions, logins, payment flows, etc.
- Get alerts in real-time when errors occur
- Check performance from global locations
- Find weaknesses before launch
Top Synthetic Monitoring Tools Compared
There are many synthetic monitoring tools out there, ranging from free basic solutions to advanced enterprise platforms. Here is an overview of 15+ top options:
- Simple and code-free synthetic scripts
- Free plan with public status page
- Powerful Puppeteer API for custom scripts
- Real browser testing with Chrome and Firefox
- Global test locations and performance monitoring
Pros: Generous free tier, easy to get started
Cons: Limited advanced configuration features
- Monitor websites, transactions, APIs and more
- Managed SaaS solution requires no installation
- Customizable dashboards and reporting
- Phone, SMS and email alerts
- Support from real synthetics experts
Pros: Hands-off managed solution, great support
Cons: Can get pricey for larger implementations
- 750+ global test nodes for extensive coverage
- Full-stack monitoring including networks
- Automatic root cause analysis
- Real browser clickpath testing
- Page speed and web vitals tracking
Pros: Massive test coverage, smart analytics
Cons: Overwhelming for simple use cases
- Intuitive interface to create monitors
- Basic real browser testing
- Many integrations and app plugins
- Free website monitoring option
- Simple public status pages
Pros: Very easy to use, great free plan
Cons: Light on advanced features
- API and custom scripting options
- Global private test nodes
- Real browser clickpath testing
- Automated root cause analysis
- Dynamic public status pages
Pros: Very customizable, full-stack visibility
Cons: Can get complex for basic needs
Other Top Solutions
- Uptrends – Waterfall diagrams, failure screenshots
- New Relic Synthetics – Integrates with other NR products
- Uptime.com – Code-free transaction testing
- Site24x7 – Affordable pricing plans
- AppDynamics – Powerful but complex
And many more…
Key Features to Look For
With so many choices, it helps to know what capabilities are most important when evaluating synthetic monitoring tools:
Real browser testing – Services that offer real Chrome and Firefox testing can replicate user actions more accurately than a basic HTTP probe.
Advanced scripting – For complex transactions, you need options like variable data, custom headers, workflows, etc.
Global test locations – More locations means more realistic tests and the ability to surface issues that may only occur in certain geographies.
Notification channels – The ability to configure alerts to tools like Slack, PagerDuty and more ensures issues get attention.
Public status pages – Display real-time uptime metrics to customers to be transparent when problems crop up.
Historical reporting – Trend analysis of past uptime and performance helps spot recurring problems.
Root cause analysis – Some tools can automatically pinpoint whether issues stem from DNS, CDNs, ISPs or your own infrastructure.
API integrations – Options to pull data into or out of other systems enables custom reporting and automation.
Getting Started With Synthetic Monitoring
Ready to implement synthetic monitoring for your business? Here are some best practices:
Start small – Identify 2-3 critical user journeys and build scripts to test those flows. Expand over time.
Test often – Configure tests to run every 5 minutes or less for rapid detection.
Use real browsers – Go beyond basic HTTP/HTTPS/Ping testing for more realistic results.
Failover notify – Make sure alerts reach a human even if one channel fails.
Review frequently – Look at reports weekly to spot gaps and make improvements.
Involve multiple teams – Engage developers, ops AND business users for helpful perspective.
The Future of Synthetic Monitoring
Synthetic monitoring solutions continue to get smarter. With new capabilities like:
- Integrations with popular dev tools – Synthetics embedded in CI/CD pipelines
- Advanced scripting with variables/logic – Support for dynamic complex flows
- Automatic maintenance – Tests stay up-to-date as apps evolve
- Predictive analytics – ML to forecast problems before they even happen
- Hybrid synthetic + RUM – Combining active and passive monitoring
The market is expanding as well. Research from MarketsandMarkets predicts the global synthetic monitoring space will grow from $2.5 billion to $5.2 billion by 2026.
As web apps get ever more complex, businesses can‘t afford downtime or poor performance. Synthetic monitoring is becoming an indispensable part of any online operation.
Conclusion
Implementing synthetic monitoring is one of the best ways to protect revenue and customer experience. From simple free tools to advanced solutions, there are options for any business to start proactively monitoring the digital premises.
The key is choosing a provider aligned to your technical needs, budget and in-house expertise. With the right solution in place, you can stop downtime in its tracks and deliver reliable 24/7 availability that customers expect.
What synthetic monitoring solutions does your business use? What features are most valuable? Share your experiences via comments!
