How to Monitor a Cron with MoniTao

Cron tasks are essential but often forgotten. This guide shows you how to monitor them effectively.

In just a few minutes, configure a heartbeat that will alert you if your cron doesn't run.

Why Monitor Your Crons?

Crons can fail silently for many reasons:

• The script has an unhandled error
• The server was restarted without reactivating crons
• A permission change blocks execution
• The database or a dependent service is unavailable

Step-by-Step Configuration

Follow these steps to configure monitoring:

Step 1: Create a Heartbeat Job

In MoniTao, create a new heartbeat job with the interval matching your cron. For example, 24 hours for a daily cron.

Step 2: Modify Your Crontab

Add a curl call at the end of your cron command. Use && so the ping is only sent on success.

# Crontab original
0 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh

# Crontab avec heartbeat MoniTao
0 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh && curl -s -X POST \
  https://monitao.com/api/heartbeat/ping/VOTRE_TOKEN \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer VOTRE_SECRET"

Step 3: Handle Errors

For better handling, create a wrapper script that signals start, success, or failure:

#!/bin/bash
# backup.sh avec gestion d'erreur

TOKEN="VOTRE_TOKEN"
SECRET="VOTRE_SECRET"
URL="https://monitao.com/api/heartbeat"

# Signal debut
curl -s -X POST "$URL/start/$TOKEN" -H "Authorization: Bearer $SECRET"

# Execution du backup
/usr/bin/mysqldump -u user -p'password' database > /backup/db.sql
RESULT=$?

# Signal succes ou echec
if [ $RESULT -eq 0 ]; then
    curl -s -X POST "$URL/ping/$TOKEN" -H "Authorization: Bearer $SECRET"
else
    curl -s -X POST "$URL/fail/$TOKEN" -H "Authorization: Bearer $SECRET"
    exit 1
fi

Configure Interval and Grace Period

Adapt the configuration to your cron:

• Interval - Must match the cron frequency (1h, 24h, etc.)
• Grace Period - Additional wait time before alert (15-60 min recommended)
• Alerts - Email by default, SMS available with Business

Frequently Asked Questions