Uptime Kuma
Uptime Kuma: a first setup, important settings, verification, and recovery considerations.
Working directory: ~/homelab/ops/uptime. Follow the common setup workflow first. This is a setup note based on the linked documentation, not a copy of my live configuration or a runtime verification of this full stack.
Start here
Uptime Kuma checks whether a service responds. Follow its Docker installation and start with one HTTP monitor for a disposable page. Select a URL reachable from the Kuma container, not automatically the URL used on your laptop. It has its own network viewpoint.
Settings and data
Persist /app/data, protect the administrator account, and keep the management UI private. Choose an interval and failure threshold appropriate to the service. A public status page is optional; do not let it reveal internal names or a complete service inventory.
Check it
Check a successful response, stop the test application, and wait for the configured failure threshold. Confirm the alert reaches you. Restart the application and verify recovery notification. A plain 200 check may pass on a login or error page; add an appropriate content check when needed.
When something fails
A false outage may be DNS, certificate trust, a redirect, or the monitor's network rather than the app itself. Never disable certificate validation globally to turn a monitor green. A monitor on the same failed machine cannot observe its total outage reliably; use an independent observer for that. Back up monitor configuration and notification credentials securely.