Independent dead-man check
If the machine, scheduler, worker, or job disappears, the expected CronRadar signal disappears with it.
Automation monitoring
A scheduled job can be green in logs and still fail the business.
CronRadar gives recurring work an independent completion signal. It watches the expected schedule and execution lifecycle so a silent stop becomes an incident, not a customer report.
- Framework-native discovery
- Raw HTTP and four base SDKs
- Five alert channels
Runnable setup
A complete lifecycle in one shell script
Use this path when no framework extension fits. The schedule is declared on the start signal; completion and failure are explicit. Replace the API key and backup command, then run it from cron.
BashCopy, add your key, run
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
KEY="nightly-backup"
BASE="https://cron.life/ping/$KEY/$CRONRADAR_API_KEY"
curl --fail --max-time 5 "$BASE/start?schedule=0%202%20*%20*%20*"
if ./backup.sh; then
curl --fail --max-time 5 "$BASE/complete"
else
curl --fail --max-time 5 "$BASE/fail?message=backup%20failed"
exit 1
fiWhy another signal
Logs explain. Scheduler dashboards operate. CronRadar watches.
Schedule plus grace
CronRadar evaluates the next expected run against a bounded grace period instead of treating every job like a fixed uptime probe.
Lifecycle, not log shipping
Send start, complete, fail, and a bounded failure message. Keep detailed logs in the system built for them.
One inventory
Group recurring work by application while framework extensions keep declared schedules synchronized.
Actionable destinations
Route incidents to email, Slack, webhook, Discord, or PagerDuty on every plan.
Outside the execution path
Official SDKs cap HTTP requests at five seconds and catch monitoring failures so the job keeps its original behavior.
Real interface
See protected work by application, not by ping URL.
Migration
Add evidence before removing the old check.
Instrument one job
Choose a low-risk production automation. Use Hangfire or Quartz discovery, a base SDK wrapper, or the lifecycle URL above.
Prove both paths
Observe a normal completion, then run a safe failure or missed-run drill and confirm the intended notification arrives.
Retire duplication
Remove the matching legacy heartbeat only after the schedule, ownership, and alert destination are correct. Repeat job by job.
Questions
Focused monitoring has deliberate limits.
Is this uptime monitoring?
No. CronRadar receives signals from scheduled work; it does not probe websites or publish status pages.
Does it collect logs or traces?
No. Store diagnostic detail in your logging platform. CronRadar keeps execution events and an optional bounded failure message.
Can it detect a job that ran but processed zero records?
Yes. Define a bounded expectation such as records_processed >= 1, then report that numeric result with the completion event. Missing or failing checks create an explained outcome incident.
Where should I start?
Use Hangfire or Quartz.NET discovery when available. Otherwise choose the base SDK for your language; raw HTTP is the smallest universal path.
See the complete workflow on the product overview.
Give one important automation an independent signal.
Free protects five active production automations with unlimited collaborators and every supported alert channel.