REST API monitoring with PRTG
Keep a 24/7 eye on the availability and performance of your RESTful API integrations
- Automatically reads the content of XML and JSON files and creates suitable channels
- Individual REST configuration templates and custom XML and JSON mapping
- Sends real-time alerts if there’s a problem with REST API connectivity or performance
Our users give top ratings for monitoring with Paessler PRTG
PRTG REST API monitoring: What you’ll find on this page
PRTG makes REAT API monitoring as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent issues with the availability and performance of RESTful API connections.
How REST API monitoring with PRTG works
Comprehensive REST monitoring
PRTG’s REST API monitoring includes the following key API metrics:
- Monitors REST API availability and other performance metrics
- Recognizes the content of XML and JSON files automatically
- Analyzes up to 50 parameters per sensor
- Automatically creates suitable channels for values
- Reads individual REST configuration templates
- Offers custom JSON and XML mapping
Quick and easy sensor setup
PRTG comes with preconfigured REST Custom sensors that you can add with a few clicks:
- Create an endpoint that you want to monitor in PRTG’s device tree.
- Add the REST Custom or the REST Custom v2 sensor
- Let PRTG automatically search for values to monitor or select a custom REST configuration template.
- Set custom warning and error thresholds.
- View sensor values at a glance using custom dashboards and maps.
What REST API monitoring looks like in PRTG
Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking the availability and performance of REST API integrations. Show API response times, latency, response codes, error rates, uptime, API call validation, and other key metrics in real time. Visualize monitoring data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the overview you need to troubleshoot outages, bottlenecks, authentication problems, and other API performance issues to optimize your network.
Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup
Preconfigured REST Custom sensor in PRTG
Custom PRTG dashboard for keeping an eye on the entire IT infrastructure
Start monitoring REST APIs with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
“All-around winning “The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers” “PRTG Network MonitorIT experts agree: Paessler PRTG is a great solution for IT infrastructure monitoring
network monitor”
is very hard to beat”
4 reasons to choose PRTG as your REST API monitoring tool
Connect your web services and cloud applications, the Internet of Things, and other endpoints via REST API to PRTG and track all the values you need to ensure a reliable and stable IT infrastructure.
Easy installation and setup
Install PRTG with a few clicks, enter an IP address range, and let the automatic network discovery do the first setup for you. You can then tailor your monitoring to suit and add the REST sensors you need, which will automatically read content from the XML and JSON files you provide.
24/7 comprehensive overview
Desktop, smartphone, or tablet – with PRTG, you can view everything at a glance. Check your REST values directly in the respective sensor, or create custom dashboards and maps that display data the way you want to. Our traffic light color coding immediately informs you if something’s amiss.
Customizable notifications
Define custom warning and error thresholds and PRTG will alert you via email, SMS, push notification, and more as soon as there’s unplanned downtime or any other network issue. You can even let PRTG take automatic action, for example, restarting a service or web application.
All-in-one network monitoring
PRTG is a comprehensive tool for monitoring your entire network. You get a centralized software that monitors all your hardware, applications, network traffic, and much more. Say goodbye to stand-alone solutions which are cumbersome, prone to error, and often cost way more.
Your REST API monitor at a glance – even on the go
Set up PRTG in minutes and use it on almost any mobile device.
Explore our preconfigured PRTG sensors for REST API monitoring
PRTG comes with more than 250 native sensor types for monitoring your entire on-premises, cloud, and hybrid cloud environment out of the box. Check out some examples below!
REST Custom v2
The REST Custom v2 sensor queries a REST API endpoint and maps the JSON or XML result to sensor values. It can show the following:
- HTTP status that the requested URL returns
- Values that the REST API returns in several channels
Python Script Advanced
The Python Script Advanced sensor executes a Python script on the probe system. This option is available as part of the PRTG API. It can show the following:
- Downtime
- JSON or XML values that the Python script returns in several channels
EXE/Script Advanced
The EXE/Script Advanced sensor runs an executable file (.exe) or a script (batch file, VBScript, PowerShell) on the probe system. This option is available as part of the PRTG API. It can show the following:
- Downtime
- Value that the executable file or script file returns in several channels
Event Log (Windows API)
The Event Log (Windows API) sensor monitors event log entries via the Windows API. It can show the following:
- Downtime
- Number of new records
Find the root cause of the problem with our PRTG REST API monitoring solution
Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.
PRTG is compatible with all major vendors, products, and systems
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With ScriptRunner, Paessler integrates a powerful event automation platform into PRTG Network Monitor.
ScriptRunner
“Excellent tool for detailed monitoring. Alarms and notifications work greatly. Equipment addition is straight forward and server initial setup is very easy. ...feel safe to purchase it if you intend to monitor a large networking landscape.”
Infrastructure and Operations Engineer in the Communications Industry, firm size 10B - 30B USD
PRTG makes REAT API monitoring as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent issues with the availability and performance of RESTful API connections.
Monitoring REST APIs: FAQ
What are REST, API, and RESTful API?
API
API stands for “application programming interface.” It is an interface that can be used to access the information of a program, operating system, or framework, and then exchange this information in a standardized manner. Communication takes place via the defined interface.
REST
REST stands for “representational state transfer.” It is a programming paradigm that is mostly used online. REST is an alternative to SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). Its architecture is significantly more modern and generates lighter loads. Another advantage of REST: a large part of the infrastructure, including web servers, HTML-compatible clients, and XML parsers, is already available on the Internet.
REST and HTTP
To communicate with RESTful APIs, an HTTP or HTTPS request is sent to a target, for example a web address. This communication occurs by way of GET and POST. GET has read-access to resources. With POST, data can be sent along with the request.
RESTful API
Many web environments, websites, and web services use RESTful APIs. These programming interfaces are based on REST. HTTP requests placed via a REST or RESTful API return XML and JSON files, which can then be selected to monitor desired values, for example.
REST and RESTful
REST stands for the architectural style or programming paradigm. Web services or websites are “RESTful” when they use or implement REST.
What is REST API monitoring?
REST API monitoring refers to the process of tracking and analyzing the performance, functionality, availability, and reliability of REST APIs (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interfaces). It involves assessing the APIs to ensure they are working correctly, meeting performance expectations, and providing a seamless experience for users or applications that rely on them.
Use cases of REST API monitoring include:
- Performance monitoring: Measures metrics such as response time, latency, and throughput to ensure APIs meet the required speed and efficiency. Identifies bottlenecks and delays in API calls.
- Uptime monitoring: Tracks the uptime and downtime of APIs to ensure they are accessible when needed. Helps identify outages or instances where the API is unreachable.
- Error monitoring: Logs and tracks API errors, such as HTTP status codes (e.g., 4xx for client errors, 5xx for server errors).
- Functional monitoring: Verifies that API functionality is working as expected by testing endpoints and ensuring correct data is returned. May involve automated API testing or simulated requests.
- User monitoring: Tracks API usage patterns to understand traffic trends and monitor for unusual activity. Helps identify potential abuse or misconfiguration.
- Security monitoring: Ensures APIs are secure by checking for vulnerabilities like improper authentication, lack of encryption, or rate-limiting bypass. Monitors for malicious activities such as API abuse or injection attacks.
What are the advantages of monitoring via REST API?
There are several benefits of REST API monitoring, including:
- Improved reliability: Proactively detects and resolves issues before they affect users.
- Enhanced performance: Optimizes API response times and reduces latency.
- Better user experience: Ensures that APIs deliver consistent and expected results to end users or dependent systems.
- Reduced downtime: Quickly identifies outages or failures for faster recovery.
- Compliance & security: Maintains data protection standards and SLAs, and identifies security vulnerabilities.
What is a sensor in PRTG?
In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive.
On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.
PRTG: The multi-tool for sysadmins
Adapt PRTG individually and dynamically to your needs and rely on a strong API:- HTTP API: Access monitoring data and manipulate monitoring objects via HTTP requests
- Custom sensors: Create your own PRTG sensors for customized monitoring
- Custom notifications: Create your own notifications and send action triggers to external systems
- REST Custom sensor: Monitor almost everything that provides data in XML or JSON format
Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins. We asked: would you recommend PRTG?
Over 95% of our customers say yes!
The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier. Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network. Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free.Still not convinced?
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Start monitoring REST APIs with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
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PRTG |
Network Monitoring Software - Version 25.1.102.1373 (January 9th, 2025) |
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Hosting |
Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available |
Languages |
English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese |
Pricing |
Up to 100 sensors for free (Price List) |
Unified Monitoring |
Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more |
Supported Vendors & Applications |
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