Adding Request Headers to a Monitor

Adding Request Headers to a Monitor

Some endpoints require specific HTTP headers to respond correctly — for example, an Authorization header for authenticated endpoints or a Content-Type header when sending JSON. This article explains how to add custom headers to a monitor.

Adding Headers During Monitor Creation

  1. Open the New Monitor form (Monitors → New Monitor).
  2. Scroll to the Advanced section or look for a Headers field.
  3. Click Add Header.
  4. Enter the header Name and Value.
  5. Repeat for each additional header you need.
  6. Complete the rest of the form and click Create Monitor.

Adding Headers to an Existing Monitor

  1. Go to Monitors and click the monitor you want to edit.
  2. Click Edit (pencil icon) in the top-right corner.
  3. Scroll to the Headers section.
  4. Click Add Header and fill in the name and value.
  5. Click Save.

Common Header Use Cases

Authorization header (Bearer token)

Name:  Authorization
Value: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...

Use this to authenticate PulseAPI's checks against endpoints protected by JWT or OAuth token authentication.

API key in a custom header

Name:  X-API-Key
Value: your-api-key-here

Many APIs use a custom header for API key authentication instead of the Authorization header.

Content-Type (for POST requests)

Name:  Content-Type
Value: application/json

Required when sending a JSON body with a POST monitor.

Accept header

Name:  Accept
Value: application/json

Tells the server to respond in JSON format if it supports multiple response formats.

Security Note

Header values are stored securely and never displayed in plain text after saving. However, treat secrets in header values (API keys, tokens) as sensitive credentials:

  • Use short-lived tokens where possible
  • Rotate tokens periodically
  • Create tokens with the minimum permissions needed for the health check endpoint

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