Gain a Holistic View of Your Website with Synthetic Monitoring

Passive vs Synthetic Monitoring
Synthetic Monitoring for End User Experience Management

While both passive and synthetic monitoring solutions are critical for comprehensive website and server management, the synthetic approach presents a wealth of advantages for IT teams and webmasters by utilizing the power of behavioral scripts. But before we dive into the unique benefits, let’s do a quick refresher on their differences.

Synthetic vs. Passive Website Monitoring

Also known as real-user monitoring, passive monitoring refers to the process of capturing traffic from a network to determine what went wrong with a website or Web application after problems have occurred. Relied on considerably by large enterprises—that use enterprise management tools to monitor web application performance within the networks—passive monitoring aggregates critical data in response to outside factors with the end goal of monitoring real users on a website and tracking the website’s response to them.

Synthetic monitoring, on the other hand, provides webmasters with pertinent information to guarantee seamless server monitoring and web application uptime before problems impact a large number of site visitors. Also referred to as active monitoring, synthetic monitoring performs regular, scripted checks that simulate end-user behavior.

The Synthetic Monitoring Edge

Synthetic monitoring technology manages from an external perspective, meaning it can pinpoint the exact root cause of an issue, such as slow applications, Internet network problems and infrastructure issues.

Synthetic monitoring does not have to rely on real Web traffic as it utilizes technology that emulates a Web browser and scripting that is programmed to simulate the actions of an actual Web user. This means that web applications can be continually tested so that real-time status updates on website uptime and performance are always available.

Benefits include:

  • Webmasters are granted a holistic view of end-to-end connectivity for geographically distributed users since monitoring can occur from multiple Internet locations.
  • It allows for more relevant service-level agreement management by providing metrics from an end-user perspective. (see: SLA management)
  • Due to its proactive approach, performance issues can be detected before they affect websites and applications.

 

Latest Web Performance Articles​

Top 15 Infrastructure Monitoring Tools

Infrastructure monitoring tools ensure systems’ optimal performance and availability, enabling the identification and resolution of potential issues before they become complex. This article delves into

Top 20 Server Monitoring Tools of 2023

A server monitoring tool is software that monitors the operation and general health of servers and other components of IT infrastructure. These tools continuously track

Top 25 Server Monitoring Tools

In this article we give our expert picks of the top 25 server monitoring tools to help monitor your website’s uptime and give your users the best experience, starting with our own solution at Dotcom-Monitor. Learn why server monitoring is an essential part of any monitoring strategy.

Top 20 Synthetic Monitoring Tools

Synthetic monitoring allows teams to monitor and measure website and web application performance around the clock from every conceivable vantage point, and to receive alerts before issues begin to impact real users. Here are our top picks for synthetic monitoring tools, leading with our own at Dotcom-Monitor.

Start Dotcom-Monitor for free today​

No Credit Card Required