Monitor
Applications and scheduled jobs send authenticated heartbeats from the runtime that needs observing.
application → HeartbeatHookApplication heartbeat infrastructure
Know your applications are alive. Reach them when you need to.
HeartbeatHook combines outbound heartbeat monitoring with a secure signal relay. Applications report that they are alive, and receiving applications retrieve pending signals when they are ready.
✓ HMAC-authenticated
✓ Replay-aware requests
✓ Retry-safe signal creation
Signal pathPending work is explicit
Tier 1 API
RequestHMACverified
MailboxPendingpoll when ready
TransitionACKexplicit
Heartbeat receivedapplication reports from its own runtimeALIVE
Signal availablereceiver polls its authenticated mailboxPENDING
Result confirmedreceiver ACKs after its business actionACKED
Heartbeat receivedOutbound evidence of life
Signal retrieved by pollingAuthenticated read · explicit ACK
A clear contract for application-to-application work
HMACREPLAY-AWAREIDEMPOTENTACKNOWLEDGED
A signal you can reason about
From heartbeat to ACK, every step has a clear job.
One application reports outbound evidence of life. Another can retrieve a pending signal through an authenticated polling flow and confirm the result after its own business action.
Reach
A source application creates a pending signal for another application in the same tenant.
POST /heartbeat/createConfirm
The receiving application polls, performs its action and ACKs the signal. Repeated ACKs remain safe.
GET /heartbeat/signals · ACKMade for serious systems
Less guessing. More signal.
HeartbeatHook keeps authentication, replay protection, idempotency, pending state and acknowledgement explicit. It is a focused application contract, not a general-purpose event platform.
Read the API contractAuthenticated by default
Requests use HMAC-SHA256, timestamps, fresh nonces and request IDs.
Retries without duplicate creation
Stable business idempotency keys make an uncertain create response safe to retry.
Pending work stays visible
Signals remain pending until the authenticated target reads and ACKs them.
Bounded by design
Tier 1 documents request size, polling and rate-limit boundaries instead of promising unmeasured scale.
Start with the problem
Useful before you create an account.
Learn the difference between a heartbeat and a health check, choose between webhooks and polling, and connect the pattern to the jobs your team already runs.
Heartbeat monitoringTrack outbound evidence of life from applications, jobs and services.
Cron job monitoringUnderstand why scheduled work can stop silently and where a heartbeat fits.
Secure signal relayMove small application signals through a durable, authenticated mailbox.
Webhook alternativeCompare inbound webhooks with outbound polling for private or intermittent receivers.
Dead man's switchUse expected evidence of life to reason about silence from jobs and workers.
Heartbeat APIRead the actual Tier 1 request, authentication, retry and ACK contract.
Platform products
Choose what your application needs.
Start with the operational question: do you need evidence of life, missing-check-in reasoning, progress freshness or a small signal path?
Heartbeat Monitor
Are you checking in?
Outbound evidence of life from an application, job or service.
Explore Heartbeat MonitorDead Man Monitor
Did you stop checking in?
Expected heartbeat silence as a distinct monitoring condition.
Explore Dead Man MonitorDead Hand Monitor
Are you checking in but stuck?
Progress-freshness monitoring for alive processes that stop moving work forward.
Explore Dead Hand MonitorSignal Relay
Can another application retrieve it?
A bounded authenticated mailbox with explicit reads and ACKs.
Explore Signal RelayPolling Relay
Can the receiver pull when ready?
A receiver-controlled retrieval model for private or intermittent applications.
Explore Polling RelayEngineering guides
Answer the operational question first.
Short, practical guides cover cron jobs, background workers, health checks, polling and private networks. The product belongs in the explanation only where it is relevant.
Browse the guidesREAD FIRSTHeartbeat vs Health Check
A health check asks whether an application is ready. A heartbeat is evidence sent by the application to its monitor.
Understand the distinctionBuild from a real contract