Healthchecks

Self-Hosted

Open-source cron job and background task monitoring tool

Overview

Healthchecks is an open-source tool for monitoring cron jobs, background tasks, and scheduled services. It tracks if tasks run on time, sending instant alerts (email, Slack, Telegram, webhooks) when they fail or are late. Supports HTTP, ping, and TCP checks, with a clean dashboard to view task statuses and history. Easy to deploy via Docker Compose or as a Django app, it integrates with Prometheus/Grafana. Ideal for teams/individuals needing reliable monitoring without proprietary lock-in.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  healthchecks:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: healthchecks
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

Monitor cron jobs/tasks with HTTP/ping/TCP checks
Instant alerts via email, Slack, Telegram, or webhooks
Easy deployment with Docker or Django application

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Healthchecks hard to install?

No—Healthchecks can be deployed quickly with Docker Compose (a single command to start) or as a Django app. Official docs provide step-by-step guides for both methods, including alert configuration and integration setup.

? Is it a good alternative to Cronitor?

Yes—Healthchecks offers core cron monitoring and alerting features similar to Cronitor but is open source, letting you host it yourself. While Cronitor has a more polished UI, Healthchecks is cost-free and gives full control over your data.

? Is it completely free?

Yes—Healthchecks is open source (BSD-3-Clause license) and can be self-hosted for free. There are no hidden costs, and you can modify the code to fit your needs. The hosted version (healthchecks.io) has paid tiers, but self-hosting is entirely free.

Top Alternatives

Cronitor Search Google

Dead Man's Snitch Search Google

Datadog Search Google

Tool Info

Pricing Free/Open Source

Category Automation

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Privacy-focused (self-hosted data control)
⊕ No subscription fees (open source)
⊕ Flexible integrations with monitoring tools like Prometheus

Cons

⊖ Requires server setup and maintenance
⊖ Limited advanced features vs enterprise tools like Datadog
⊖ No built-in uptime monitoring for external websites