> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://checkly-422f444a-paula-tree-202-entitlements-group-troubles.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # URL Monitor Configuration > Configure your URL monitor to ensure your HTTP-based services are always available. ### Basic Setup Monitor any URL by specifying the endpoint you want to track. You can configure the HTTP method, add request headers, and set SSL/redirect options: URL monitor setup interface showing HTTP method selection, URL input field, and options for Skip SSL and Follow redirects ### Assertions Use assertions to validate the status code of your URL request. When one or more assertions fail, an alert is triggered: URL monitor assertions interface showing status code configuration **Status Code:** Verify your endpoint returns the expected HTTP status code using the comparison dropdown. Choose from equals, not equals, greater than, or less than. ### Response Time Limits Set performance thresholds to ensure your application meets speed requirements: URL monitor response time limits interface showing degraded and failed thresholds **Degraded After**: Time threshold (in milliseconds) after which the check is marked as degraded but not failed. Use for performance warnings without triggering failure alerts. **Failed After**: Time threshold after which the check fails completely. Use for hard performance limits where slow responses should trigger alerts. ### Frequency Determine how often your monitors run. Unlike Synthetic Monitors, URL Monitors do not consume "Checks" and can run at any frequency available to your plan: URL monitor frequency selection interface showing available check intervals Choose a frequency that balances monitoring coverage with resource usage. Higher frequencies provide faster detection but may not be necessary for all services. ### Scheduling Strategy Choose when and how your checks run across multiple locations: URL monitor scheduling strategy interface showing round robin vs fixed schedule options **Round Robin** (Default): Checks run from one random location each interval. Most cost-effective option for general availability monitoring. **Fixed Schedule**: Checks run from all selected locations simultaneously. Higher consumption but provides immediate global visibility for critical services. ### Locations Select from Checkly's global monitoring locations to test your URLs from different regions: URL monitor locations selection interface showing global monitoring locations Choose 2-3 locations that best represent your user base for optimal monitoring coverage. See [Locations](/concepts/locations) for the complete list of available regions and guidance on location selection. **Private Locations**: Run checks from your own infrastructure to monitor internal applications, check services behind firewalls, or maintain data residency compliance. [Set up Private Locations →](/detect/private-locations/overview) ### Retries Select the retry strategy to determine how failed checks are retried: URL monitor retries interface showing retry strategy options | Strategy | Description | | --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **None** | No retries - fail immediately on first failure for fastest detection | | **Single** | Retry once after failure with configurable delay | | **Fixed** | Retry a specific number of times with consistent intervals between attempts | | **Linear** | Increase retry delay linearly with each attempt to avoid overwhelming failed services | | **Exponential** | Double the retry delay with each attempt for maximum protection against service overload | ### Alert Settings Configure notifications for your team: URL monitor alert settings interface showing notification configuration options #### Notification Scope Choose how alerts are configured for this monitor: | Option | Description | | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Use global account notification settings** | Inherit notification preferences from Global Notification Settings | | **Use specific notification settings** | Configure alert behavior exclusively for this check | #### Escalation Rules Control when alerts are triggered: **Primary Trigger** (Choose one): * **When a check has failed X time(s)**: Sends alert after specified consecutive failures * **When a check is failing for more than Y minutes**: Sends alert if failure duration exceeds threshold **Additional Condition** (Optional): * **When a check is failing in Z% of locations**: Only applies to checks running in parallel across multiple locations #### Reminders Configure follow-up alerts after initial failure notification: | Setting | Description | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | **Maximum reminders** | Number of follow-up alerts (0 = no reminders) | | **Reminder interval** | Time between reminders (only if maximum reminders > 0) | #### Alert Channels Define where notifications are sent when checks fail or recover. Additional channels can be configured in global notification settings. **Alert Types** (per channel): * ✅ **Success/Recovery**: Check has recovered from failure * ⚠ **Warning**: Check is degraded but not failed * ❌ **Failure**: Check has failed * 🔒 **Locked/Restricted**: Channel access limited **Global Alert Settings**: By default, monitors inherit your account's notification preferences. Select "Use specific notification settings" to customize alerts for individual monitors.