The check interval is how often PulseAPI sends a request to your monitor. This article explains what intervals are available, how your plan affects them, and how to choose the right interval for each monitor.
Every monitor has a check interval — a fixed period between checks. For example, a 60-second interval means PulseAPI requests your endpoint once per minute. A 5-second interval means 12 checks per minute.
Each check records the HTTP status code, response time, and any errors. The results feed your check history, uptime calculations, and alert rule evaluations.
| Plan | Minimum Interval | Available Options |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 60 seconds | 60s |
| Starter | 60 seconds | 60s |
| Professional | 15 seconds | 15s, 30s, 60s |
| Team | 5 seconds | 5s, 10s, 15s, 30s, 60s |
The monitor creation form only shows intervals available on your current plan.
Note: Faster intervals increase the number of checks PulseAPI performs. This also means more data points in your check history and more granular uptime calculations — but it does not affect how many monitors you can create.
60 seconds (Free / Starter) Appropriate for most web services and APIs. A failure will be detected within one minute and a notification sent shortly after. This is the standard for most uptime monitoring services.
15–30 seconds (Professional) Good for services where a 1-minute detection gap is too long — e.g., a payment API where even 30 seconds of downtime is significant. Also useful for endpoints with tight SLAs.
5–10 seconds (Team) For mission-critical services where the fastest possible detection matters. A 5-second interval means your team is notified within roughly 5–10 seconds of a failure. Use this for high-priority production services, not every monitor on your team.
Tip: Faster intervals don't reduce false positives — for that, see Understanding and Reducing False Positives. Shorter intervals just mean faster detection of real failures.
The new interval takes effect on the next scheduled check.
Still have questions? Contact support.