Why ping and port checks?
Uptime monitoring often focuses on HTTP(S) — but not every service runs over a browser. Mail servers, databases, VPN concentrators, SSH jump hosts, and custom APIs all depend on network-level reachability. A simple ping or port probe confirms whether the host is online and whether a service is accepting connections.
Ping & Port Monitoring in endpnts.io adds lightweight checks alongside your full HTTP monitors. It’s quick, low overhead, and invaluable when you need to know if a box is down or if a service port is closed.
What we check
- ICMP ping — host reachability and round-trip latency.
- TCP port checks — verify that specific ports (e.g., 25 for SMTP, 22 for SSH, 443 for HTTPS APIs) are accepting connections.
- Regional probes — confirm connectivity from multiple geographies, not just one location.
- Timeouts — catch firewalls and routing black holes that silently drop traffic.
- Trend metrics — track latency and packet loss over time to spot degradation, not just outages.
Problems you’ll catch
- Firewall rules blocking inbound traffic unexpectedly.
- Network outages affecting a datacenter or ISP region.
- Mail or VPN ports silently closed during maintenance.
- Latency spikes hinting at saturation before services fail completely.
- Accidental DNS or routing changes pointing to unreachable hosts.
How ping & port fit into your monitoring
Beyond HTTP
Not every service has a URL — ping & port checks keep databases, mail servers, and VPN endpoints visible.
Early warning
Detect host-level outages before full HTTP downtime cascades.
Route alerts cleanly
Use Notification Policies to page infra teams on host failures without bothering application owners.
Feature snapshot
Lightweight, essential checks with plan-based limits.
| Capability | Free | Pro | Growth | Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICMP ping checks | 5 min interval | |||
| TCP port checks | — | |||
| Regional probe coverage | — | |||
| Latency & packet loss metrics | — |
Catch outages at the network layer
Ping & Port Monitoring ensures you see host and service failures before they impact users.
Add a ping monitor