We Monitor WordPress Sites

Do you know if your site has an issue?
Discover technology, hosting
and security vulnerabilities
Where did the idea come from?
Early this year I was looking for an easy to configure solution to monitor a handful of WordPress sites. Back in the day I had used Nagios to monitor large corporate networks and knew the solution was extremely reliable and effective if a bit fiddly to get configured.

Speaking to WordPress users from my Security Vulnerability Testing Service to gauge interest in a solution to my problem was eye opening. While existing monitoring services are available, they didn't really fit the exact requirements of a WordPress site owner. I realised there was interest in an easy way to monitor uptime and security related aspects of WordPress deployments. WPRecon is the service that came out of those conversations.
How does the Monitoring Work?
We have a number of servers deployed in data centres in the USA that periodically queries your WordPress site on the same URL you would access it through a browser. The primary test for the site being up or down is tested every minute. If the site does not respond as expected then an email is generated and sent to your registered email address. Alerting you to the fact that your site is not available.

Once the site is again responding you will receive an email alerting you to the recovery.
Will it affect my web stats?
The one minute check does not involve executing any javascript. It simply downloads the base HTML for your site. So this will not trigger any statistics you have in place such as Google Analytics. If by chance you are old school and process the web logs, then you can filter out the checks from our server simply enough (wprecon is in the user agent of our checks).
Is the monitoring a magic fix for Security Management?
No our monitoring system is not a magic cure for protecting your site. In fact there is no silver bullet for solving your security needs. Having a secure WordPress site requires ongoing maintenance, that cannot be solved by an automated system. Our system will keep an eye on your site and provide alerts if problems are discovered. In fact if you have a third party managing your site our system can be a good back stop to keep an eye on things.
Can I enable / disable individual checks?
Of course! Checks can be enabled or disabled through the easy to use dashboard. Individual checks can be disabled or whole sites can easily be removed. A primary aim of the service is to make it simple to use.
Here's more Detail on the Monitoring Checks
HTTP / HTTPs Uptime Check
Availability of the HTTP (port 80) or HTTPS (port 443) service is checked every minute.
Web Content Check
Test for a valid string in HTML response from the Site. The default string that is searched for is wp-content, however this can easily be changed to match your site content.
DNS Check
Receive an alert if your DNS fails to resolve or if it changes. Whether its a security incident or poor DNS server performance. You need to know.
SSL Expiry
This checks ensures you don't miss an SSL renewal and end up with the dreaded SSL warning screen facing your users. Receive an alert when your SSL certificate has 14 days until expiry and again when its 7 days.
Google Safe Browse Check
Detect changes to Google Safe Browse check status. Allowing you quickly identify compromised sites that contain malware, phishing or poor reputation. So you can fix the problem. Don't lose customers, traffic and reputation.
Blacklist Checks
Tests 37 real time blacklists (RTBL) for spam or reputation problems on your IP address. Identify the problem, and get the blacklisting removed.
Need more information
Drop us a line, we are happy to discuss any questions or feedback you may have.
Contact