Check types

Alertee runs five kinds of check. Every type shares the same interval, schedule, grace period, and alert-group settings — they differ only in what they watch.

SQL check (default)

Runs a SQL query against a connection and evaluates the result against a condition. Single-value or grid. This is the default when no type is given.

Website / API check (`http`)

Requests a URL on your interval and alerts if it stops behaving. No database connection needed. Configure:

Option	What it checks
`url`	The URL to request (required)
`http_method`	GET (default), HEAD, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE
`expected_status`	Status code that means healthy (default: any 2xx)
`timeout_seconds`	Request timeout (default 30)
`max_response_time_ms`	Alert if the response is slower than this
`body_contains`	Alert unless the response body contains this string
`ssl_expiry_days`	For `https`, alert if the TLS certificate expires within this many days

API metric check (`api_metric`)

Fetches a JSON API on your interval, extracts a number from the response, and evaluates it against a condition — exactly like a SQL single-value check, including the value graph on the check’s overview. Use it to track SaaS usage, spend, queue depths, or any metric a provider exposes over HTTP. See API metric checks for the full guide.

Option	What it does
`url`	The JSON API endpoint to fetch (required)
`value_path`	Path to the metric in the response, e.g. `usage.total` (blank = the body is the value)
`headers`	Request headers — put your API token here
`http_method` / `body`	Method (default GET) and request body for POST-style APIs
`expected_status`	Status code that means healthy (default: any 2xx)
`timeout_seconds`	Request timeout (default 30)

Heartbeat check (`heartbeat`)

A dead-man’s-switch for a cron job, ETL pipeline, or any scheduled task. Instead of Alertee reaching out, your job calls a private ping URL when it finishes successfully. If a ping doesn’t arrive in time, the check alerts. Configure:

Option	Meaning
`expected_interval_mins`	Alert if no ping arrives within this many minutes (default 60)
`grace_period_mins`	Extra minutes to wait past the interval before alerting
`last_ping_status_to_require`	Required status of the latest ping (default `success`)

When you create the check, Alertee returns a ping URL like https://api.alertee.app/heartbeat/<token>. Call it on success — for example at the end of a cron job:

# your job's work here…
curl -fsS https://api.alertee.app/heartbeat/<token>

A GET or POST both count as a ping. POST a JSON body ({"status":"failure","message":"…"}) to report a failed run explicitly.

Push check (`push`)

The one type where you send us the number. Your own cron, script, or CI step POSTs a value to a private ingest URL; the value is evaluated against a condition — single-value or grid — the instant it arrives. No database credentials, and it works from inside a private network. A staleness window doubles as a dead-man switch, so silence alerts too.

Option	Meaning
`staleness_mins`	Alert if no value is pushed within this many minutes (default 60)

# your job's work here…
curl -fsS -X POST https://api.alertee.app/ingest/<token> \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"value": 42}'

Post {"rows": [{"name": "eu-west", "value": 12}]} instead to push a grid — one row per dimension. See Push checks for the full guide.

Creating each type

All five are available from the app, the CLI, and the MCP server (create_check with check_type = sql, http, api_metric, heartbeat, or push).

# Website check
alertee checks create --type http --name "Marketing site" \
  --url https://example.com --expected-status 200 --interval five_minutes

# API metric check (alert when daily signups drop below 10)
alertee checks create --type api_metric --name "Daily signups" \
  --url https://api.example.com/stats --value-path signups.today \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --condition greater_or_equal --threshold 10 --interval hourly

# Heartbeat check (prints the ping URL)
alertee checks create --type heartbeat --name "Nightly ETL" \
  --expected-interval 1440 --interval hourly

# Push check (prints the ingest URL to POST your number to)
alertee checks create --type push --name "Nightly load rows" \
  --staleness-mins 30 --condition greater_or_equal --threshold 100 \
  --interval fifteen_minutes

Getting started

Checks

Inbox

Alerts

Account

Status

SQL check (default)

Website / API check (`http`)

API metric check (`api_metric`)

Heartbeat check (`heartbeat`)

Push check (`push`)

Creating each type

​SQL check (default)

​Website / API check (http)

​API metric check (api_metric)

​Heartbeat check (heartbeat)

​Push check (push)

​Creating each type

SQL check (default)

Website / API check (`http`)

API metric check (`api_metric`)

Heartbeat check (`heartbeat`)

Push check (`push`)

Creating each type