Feature

Port/TCP Monitoring

Monitor anything that speaks TCP but not HTTP - a database, a mail server, SSH, or a custom service.

Not everything worth monitoring answers HTTP requests. A Port/TCP monitor opens a raw TCP connection to a hostname and port on a schedule using Node's built-in networking, and simply checks whether the connection is accepted within your timeout - no request sent, no response read.

How it works

  1. Add the hostname or IP and the port you want to check - a database, a mail server, an SSH endpoint, a game server, or any custom TCP service.
  2. Kawze attempts a raw TCP connection to that host:port on the schedule you set.
  3. A connection accepted within your timeout counts as up; refused, timed out, or unreachable counts as down.
  4. A run of consecutive failed connections opens a real incident and alerts your team - the same alerting/outage machinery every other monitor type uses.

Why it matters

  • Covers services an HTTP monitor simply can't - databases, mail servers, SSH, game servers, or anything else speaking raw TCP.
  • Same email/SMS/Slack alerting and dashboard as every other monitor type - no separate tooling to learn.
  • A configurable down-alert threshold tolerates a brief blip before actually notifying you.
  • Available on every plan, including Free.

Frequently asked questions

What can a Port/TCP monitor check?

Anything that accepts raw TCP connections - a database server, SMTP/IMAP, SSH, a game server, or any custom TCP service that doesn't speak HTTP.

How is this different from an HTTP monitor?

An HTTP monitor sends a real request and checks the response. A Port/TCP monitor only attempts a raw connection and checks whether it's accepted - that's what makes it work for non-HTTP services.

Does this open an incident like a website monitor?

Yes - a Port/TCP monitor has a real up/down status and opens an incident on a run of failed connections, the same as an HTTP or Domain Health monitor.

This capability lives on Kawze's tcp monitor - see that page for the full feature list and pricing for that uptime monitor type.