What is Synthetic Monitoring

Definition

Synthetic monitoring proactively tests the availability and performance of applications by running scripted, simulated transactions against them on a schedule from various locations, detecting problems before real users encounter them rather than waiting for live traffic to reveal issues.

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Detects outages and slowdowns before real users are affected
Tests critical paths continuously from multiple locations
Provides consistent baselines unaffected by fluctuating real traffic
Validates availability even during low-traffic periods

Glossary: Performance Testing

Real World Example

An e-commerce company runs synthetic monitors that simulate a login and checkout every few minutes from several regions, catching a payment-gateway failure at 3 a.m. and alerting the team before the morning rush of real shoppers.

FAQs

How does synthetic monitoring differ from real-user monitoring?

Synthetic monitoring runs scripted simulated transactions proactively, while real-user monitoring measures the experience of actual live users.

What does synthetic monitoring test?

It tests availability, response time, and the correctness of critical user journeys on a regular schedule.

Why monitor synthetically when you have real traffic?

Synthetic checks catch issues during quiet periods and on specific paths, giving early, consistent signals independent of traffic volume.