Getting Started with New Relic One Synthetics Monitoring
Introduction
Monitoring is a critical component for ensuring the health and performance of applications. While AWS users often rely on CloudWatch, there are scenarios where external monitoring solutions like New Relic One can provide additional benefits, especially during regional outages.
In this guide, we’ll walk through setting up New Relic One Synthetics, creating alerts, and even testing failures to ensure robust monitoring.
Signing Up for a New Relic One Account
Visit the New Relic One and sign up for a free account. The free tier allows you to ingest up to 100GB of data per month and provides one user with full access to all features.
Click Sign Up.
Enter your name and email address, then click Start Now. Complete the registration process through the email verification link.
Setting Up Synthetics Monitoring
Accessing the Synthetics Dashboard
From the dashboard menu, click Synthetics.
Click Get Started to begin setting up a new synthetic monitor.
Configuring a Synthetic Monitor
Enter the following details for the synthetic monitor setup:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Monitor Type | API Test |
| Monitor Name | Choose a descriptive name |
| Monitoring Locations | Select locations as needed |
| Schedule | Set an interval per your needs |
You can also modify the default script for custom tests. For example, use a GET method to access https://www.google.co.jp.
Setting Up Notifications and Alerts
Creating an Alert Policy
Navigate to Alerts & AI and select Notification Channels.
Click Create a Policy.
Choose an Incident Preference based on your requirements.
Creating an Alert Condition
Click Create a Condition and select Synthetics.
Choose Single Failure as the condition type for this example.
Enter a condition name and save your configuration.
Setting Up a Notification Channel
Go to Notification Channels and click New Notification Channel.
Select a channel type such as Email, Slack, or others.
Enter the required details, such as an email address for alerts, and click Create Channel.
Linking Alert Policies to Notification Channels
After creating the alert policy, link it to your notification channel by selecting Add Alert Policies and saving the changes. This ensures the alerts are routed correctly.
Testing Your Setup
To validate the alert system:
Edit the script URL to an invalid domain, such as https://www.google.co.hoge.
Run the test and confirm that an alert is triggered.
Acknowledge and manually close the incident after verifying it.
(Optional) Deleting Your New Relic Account
If you no longer need your account, you can delete it:
Navigate to Organization and Access in the account menu.
Click Delete Organization to remove your account permanently.
Conclusion
New Relic One Synthetics offers a powerful and flexible way to monitor your applications and resources. Its ability to simulate user interactions and provide external monitoring enhances application observability significantly. Follow the steps in this guide to set up monitoring, alerts, and notifications tailored to your needs.
Happy Coding! 🚀
