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Uptime Kuma

Setting Up Uptime-Kuma on Docker Compose

Uptime-Kuma is an open-source, self-hosted monitoring tool designed to help users keep track of the uptime and performance of their websites, applications and services. Its key purpose is to monitor servers and services by regularly checking their availability, response time, and operational status. It also offers a user-friendly dashboard for visualising this data. Uptime-Kuma is highly customisable and lightweight, making it an appealing alternative to many commercial monitoring services.

Key Features

  • Multiple Monitoring Types - Uptime-Kuma allows monitoring of services via HTTP(s), TCP, Ping, DNS and WebSocker protocols. This flexibility enables users to monitor a wide variety of systems.

  • Notifications - It supports notification services, including integrations with popular platforms like Telegram, Discord, Slack and more. This ensures that users are immediately alerted when a monitored service experiences downtime or other issues.

  • Customisable Monitoring Intervals - Users can set the frequency of monitoring checks, allowing for real-time monitoring or spaced-out checks depending on the service’s criticality.

  • Intuitive Dashboard - Uptime-Kuma features a well-designed, easy-to-use dashboard that displays the status of all monitored services in a clear and organised manner. It also offers historical logs and visual graphs for response times and availability.

  • Self-Hosted - Uptime-Kuma is self-hosted, which means users maintain control of their data and can deploy it on a local server or cloud-based infrastructure.

  • Docker Support - Uptime-Kuma can be deployed quickly and easily using Docker, making it compatible with a wide variety of environments, from personal home servers to enterprise-level infrastructure.

Benefits of Using Uptime-Kuma

  • Cost-effective - Being open-source and free, Uptime-Kuma is ideal for individuals, small businesses, or organisations looking to avoid the costs of premium monitoring solutions

  • Full Control - Self-hosting provides full control over the system and data, which can be imported for organisations with strict privacy or compliance requirements.

  • Customisable - The tool offers various customisations options, from notification settings to monitoring types, which allows it to cater to diverse use cases.

Uptime-Kuma is highly adaptable, making it a powerful tool for any individual or team seeking real-time service monitoring. Its simple interface, coupled with robust features, makes it a perfect solution for both beginners and experienced users looking for a reliable monitoring platform.

Why Choose Uptime-Kuma

Choosing Uptime-Kuma over other monitoring solutions offers several advantages, especially for users looking for a customizable, self-hosted option. Here’s why you might choose Uptime-Kuma -

  • Completely Free and Open-Source

    • No Licensing Costs - Uptime-Kuma is completely free, unlike many commercial monitoring tools that have subscription fees or hidden costs. It is open-source, meaning you can use and modify it according to your needs without any limitations.
    • Community-Driven - As an open-source project, it has an active community contributing to updates, bug fixes, and feature requests, ensuring continuous improvement.

  • Self-Hosted for Full Control

    • Data Privacy - Since Uptime-Kuma is self-hosted, you have complete control over your data. For organizations with strict security and compliance needs, this is crucial because no third-party services are involved.
    • Custom Environment - You can host Uptime-Kuma on your infrastructure, whether it’s on a local server, a cloud provider, or a personal Raspberry Pi, providing flexibility in where and how it’s deployed.

  • User-Friendly Interface

    • Beautiful, Modern Dashboard - Uptime-Kuma features a clean and intuitive dashboard that makes monitoring and managing services easy for users of all technical levels. You can view uptime statistics, response times, and alerts in a well-organized interface.
    • Historical Data & Visualisations - The platform logs uptime and response data over time, presenting it in graphs and tables for easy analysis.

  • Highly Customizable Monitoring Options

    • Multiple Protocols - Uptime-Kuma supports a wide variety of monitoring types, including HTTP(s), TCP, Ping, DNS, and WebSocket. This flexibility allows users to monitor not only websites but also servers, applications, databases, and other services.
    • Customizable Intervals - You can define the monitoring frequency, tailoring it to suit different services based on their importance and desired level of monitoring. Multiple Notifications - Uptime-Kuma integrates with many popular notification systems like Slack, Telegram, Discord, email, and more. This ensures you can receive alerts in the way that best fits your workflow.

  • Lightweight and Easy to Install

    • Docker Support - Installing Uptime-Kuma is simple, especially with Docker. A single command deploys it on your server without the need for complex setups or extensive configurations.
    • Minimal Resource Usage - Uptime-Kuma is lightweight and doesn’t require high-end resources, making it perfect for running on small servers, virtual machines, or even Raspberry Pi.

  • Notifications and Alerts

    • Instant Alerts - You can set up instant notifications when downtime or anomalies are detected. Uptime-Kuma integrates with a wide variety of alerting platforms, allowing you to be informed through email, chat apps, or custom webhooks.
    • Escalation and Custom Rules - Users can configure specific alert thresholds and notification rules, providing granular control over how and when to be notified of issues.

  • No Vendor Lock-In

    • Full Flexibility - Since Uptime-Kuma is open-source and self-hosted, you are not tied to any vendor or platform. If your requirements change, you can migrate or modify the system without any restrictions.
    • Adaptability - As your infrastructure or service monitoring needs evolve, Uptime-Kuma can be easily adapted or extended with custom scripts or features to meet those needs.

  • Actively Maintained

    • Frequent Updates - Uptime-Kuma has an active development community, and the software receives regular updates with new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements.
    • Growing Community - The project is growing in popularity, which means more user feedback, tutorials, and plugins that enhance the overall experience.

  • Great for Beginners and Experts Alike

    • Simple to Use - The user-friendly interface and easy installation process make Uptime-Kuma a great option for people new to monitoring systems.
    • Advanced Features for Power Users - Advanced users can take advantage of features like custom scripts, advanced network configurations, and personalized notifications to get the most out of the tool.

  • Supports Multiple Locations

    • Monitor from Different Regions - If you have services spread across various locations, Uptime-Kuma can be configured to check service availability from different geographic locations, allowing for more accurate uptime statistics.

  • Why Uptime-Kuma Stands Out

    • Cost Efficiency - You get a feature-rich monitoring tool without paying for costly subscriptions.
    • Customizability and Control The ability to self-host and adapt the tool to your needs makes it a perfect fit for both small and large operations.
    • Ease of Use - With a clean interface and flexible alerting, it strikes a balance between simplicity and powerful functionality.
    • Privacy - For users and businesses concerned about privacy, hosting your monitoring solution ensures that no data leaves your network.

In summary, Uptime-Kuma is a perfect choice for users seeking a powerful, free, self-hosted alternative to costly monitoring services like Pingdom or UptimeRobot, offering extensive features without compromising on usability or flexibility.

Docker Compose Example

networks:
  frontend:
    external: true
services:
  uptime:
    container_name: uptime
    image: louislam/uptime-kuma:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - ./config:/app/data
    ports:
      - "3001:3001"
    labels:
      - traefik.enable=true
      - traefik.http.routers.uptime.rule=Host(`monitor.<domain>`)
      - traefik.http.routers.uptime.entrypoints=https
      - traefik.http.services.uptime.loadbalancer.server.port=3001
      - traefik.http.routers.uptime.service=uptime
      - traefik.http.services.uptime.loadbalancer.server.scheme=http
      - traefik.http.routers.tls=true
      - traefik.http.routers.uptime.tls.certresolver=myresolver
      - "--certificatesresolvers.myresolver.acme.dnschallenge=true"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.myresolver.acme.dnschallenge.provider=cloudflare"
    networks:
      - frontend

Start Uptime-Kuma

Start Uptime-Kuma by running the following command within the folder / location where the docker compose file for Uptime-Kuma has been stored.

docker compose up -d

Key Components of Docker Compose Configuration Explained

  • Image - Specifies the Uptime-Kuma server image and tag
  • Ports - Exposes Uptime-Kuma on specified port
  • Volumes - For media files and custom templates
  • Labels - Used by Traefik to provide external access to the service, once the service all its dependancies have been started are "healthy" and Accessible, Public Service Name and what provider to use to check and obtain for an SSL Certificate