Passive Website Monitoring Methods

In the realm of website monitoring, there are many methods and options available to website administrators. While some of these methods are best suited for specific websites and network complexities, passive monitoring methods are ideal for those who are looking for a powerful monitoring solution without having to manually implement monitoring software into the inner workings of their website. In the most general sense, passive website monitoring tools are external (third party) applications that are used to continuously monitor your website, generally through an API application.

Passive Monitoring Solutions Explained

Passive website monitoring is used to check page elements to ensure each internal and third party content element is working as it should. However, these monitoring methods also provide deeper insights into the performance of your website.

The basic notion behind passive monitors is to provide a monitoring solution that's able to effectively monitor and manage the various components of your website without having to be installed into the actual server of the website.

This form of monitoring is also referred to as real-user monitoring, and it's commonly utilized for large digital enterprises that require constant monitoring of their complex applications and other dynamic page elements. Generally, these tools sit within the local area network (LAN) and monitor the incoming and outgoing traffic, which provides detailed insights into the behavior and experience had by users.

Because of how this monitoring solution is configured, it's best when utilized to capture end-user experiences in real-time. Due to its wide range of options and solutions, passive monitoring solutions are best for those looking for a powerful and effective way to monitor the actual end-user experience without having to spend a large sum of money.

General Advantages of Passive Monitoring Solutions

The following are several universal advantages of employing a passive monitoring solution into your site:

• Effectively monitors client-side activities, experiences and events

• Monitors page-to-page latency in the way that users see and experience it

• Records the actual time it takes for requests to be fully rendered

General Disadvantages of Passive Monitoring Solutions

While these solutions are ideal for many businesses, there are a couple of disadvantages you should be aware of before you make your final decision:

• Data is only captured if the website features traffic. Therefore, it's impossible to determine the true performance and effectiveness of your site if there is no traffic.

• Does not offer monitoring for errors and issues that may happen outside of the LAN. Issues such as router outages, general network issues and DNS issues must be monitored through an active monitoring solution.

There are a number of websites that offer website monitoring such as Pingdom, Site24x7, and Uptimepal. Specifically, the latter offers one minute monitoring which is considered to be one of the best intervals for monitoring. For more information, feel free to visit their site.

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