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Sending check-in events using the AppSignal API

Before sending check-in events to AppSignal, you must first create a check-in in AppSignal.

You can send check-in events to AppSignal by performing HTTP POST requests to the AppSignal API, using any HTTP client. The examples in this page provide a sample cURL command, as well as the raw HTTP method and URL to use with any HTTP client of your choice.

In the examples below, replace YOUR-APP-LEVEL-API-KEY with the AppSignal app-level push API key for your app, which can be found in your application's "Push & Deploy" settings, and YOUR-CHECK-IN-IDENTIFIER with the identifier of the check-in you wish to send events to.

Sending cron check-in events

Cron check-ins are used to monitor the execution of scheduled jobs, such as cron jobs. AppSignal will expect to receive a finish cron check-in event according to its configured schedule, and will notify you if no finish cron check-in event is received within its configured maximum duration.

Additionally, you can send start cron check-in events to AppSignal to notify that a cron check-in event has started, allowing you to measure the duration of your cron jobs.

Finish cron check-in

To notify AppSignal that a cron job has finished successfully, send a POST request to the AppSignal API with the following URL query parameters:

curl
http
curl
curl -D - -X POST -G 'https://appsignal-endpoint.net/check_ins/cron' \
  -d 'api_key=YOUR-APP-LEVEL-API-KEY' \
  -d 'identifier=YOUR-CHECK-IN-IDENTIFIER'
http
POST https://appsignal-endpoint.net/check_ins/cron
  ?api_key=YOUR-APP-LEVEL-API-KEY
  &identifier=YOUR-CHECK-IN-IDENTIFIER

AppSignal will notify you if no finish cron check-in event is received within the cron check-in's configured maximum duration.

Start cron check-in (optional)

To notify AppSignal that a cron job has started, send a POST request to the AppSignal API with the following URL query parameters:

curl
http
curl
curl -D - -X POST -G 'https://appsignal-endpoint.net/check_ins/cron' \
  -d 'api_key=YOUR-APP-LEVEL-API-KEY' \
  -d 'identifier=YOUR-CHECK-IN-IDENTIFIER' \
  -d 'kind=start'
http
POST https://appsignal-endpoint.net/check_ins/cron
  ?api_key=YOUR-APP-LEVEL-API-KEY
  &identifier=YOUR-CHECK-IN-IDENTIFIER

Sending a start cron check-in event is entirely optional. Doing so allows you to measure the duration of your cron jobs.

Sending heartbeat check-in events

Heartbeat check-ins are used to monitor the uptime of a process that should run continuously, such as a server application or a background job processor. AppSignal will expect to receive heartbeat check-in events continuously, and will notify you if no heartbeat check-in event is received within its configured maximum duration.

To send a heartbeat check-in event to AppSignal, send a POST request to the AppSignal API with the following URL query parameters:

curl
http
curl
curl -D - -X POST -G 'https://appsignal-endpoint.net/check_ins/heartbeat' \
  -d 'api_key=YOUR-APP-LEVEL-API-KEY' \
  -d 'identifier=YOUR-CHECK-IN-IDENTIFIER'
http
POST https://appsignal-endpoint.net/check_ins/heartbeat
  ?api_key=YOUR-APP-LEVEL-API-KEY
  &identifier=YOUR-CHECK-IN-IDENTIFIER