Ping tells you the host is reachable. HTTP tells you the application works. Most SMBs need both—weighted differently per endpoint.
Related: Uptime Guide · Reduce False Positives · Minimum Interval
When ping helps
- Detecting network or firewall issues
- Quick signal to correlate with HTTP failures
Why HTTP is the default
- Validates DNS, TLS, routing, and application
- Supports assertions (status code, body content, timing)
A practical combo
Run HTTP on customer endpoints; add ping on gateways or infra nodes. Route alerts differently: ping to chat, HTTP to on‑call once confirmed.
Feature: Uptime Monitoring.
Put this into practice
Start monitoring in minutes. Email, Slack, Teams, Discord, PagerDuty, and SMS alerts.