Cron Monitoring Without SDK: One Curl Line
You don't need an SDK, an agent, or a rewrite. Add one curl (or HTTP) call at the end of your job. If the job fails or doesn't run, the ping never happens—and you get an alert. Your code stays the same.
Why "No SDK" Matters
Many cron monitoring tools want you to install an agent, use their SDK, or change how you run jobs. That means new dependencies, deployment steps, and migration work. With a ping-based approach you keep your existing cron and scripts; you only add a single HTTP request when the job succeeds.
- Works with any language (Bash, Python, Node, PHP, Go, etc.)
- No libraries to install or update
- Same pattern on every server and environment
- Easy to add to existing crontab in one line
One Line in Crontab
Run your script; only if it succeeds, send the ping. Use && so the ping runs only after a successful exit.
# Every day at 3 AM: run backup, then ping only on success
0 3 * * * /path/to/backup.sh && curl -X POST "https://deadmanping.com/api/ping/backup-daily"
# Every 5 min: sync job
*/5 * * * * /path/to/sync.sh && curl -s -X POST "https://deadmanping.com/api/ping/sync-job" > /dev/nullIf backup.sh fails or doesn't run, the curl never runs. DeadManPing expects a ping within your configured interval; if it doesn't get one, it alerts you.
From Your Script (Any Language)
Call the ping URL at the end of your script, after the work is done. GET, POST, or HEAD—all work.
Bash
#!/bin/bash
/path/to/your-job.sh
curl -X POST "https://deadmanping.com/api/ping/my-job"Python
import urllib.request
# ... your job logic ...
urllib.request.urlopen("https://deadmanping.com/api/ping/my-job", data=b"")Node.js
await runMyJob();
await fetch('https://deadmanping.com/api/ping/my-job', { method: 'POST' });Optional: Send Result Data (Payload Validation)
You can send simple key-value data with the ping (e.g. file size, row count, status). DeadManPing can validate that the values are in range—so you're not only checking "did it run?" but "did it produce a valid result?"
# Ping with payload: file size and record count
curl -X POST "https://deadmanping.com/api/ping/backup-daily?file_size_mb=42&records_processed=1000"
# In the dashboard you can set rules: file_size_mb > 0, records_processed >= 100Keep Your Cron. Add One Curl.
DeadManPing gives you cron monitoring without SDK or agent. Create a monitor, get a unique ping URL, add one line to your job. You get alerts when the job doesn't run or when results fail validation.
Related Articles
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Monitor Cron Jobs: One Curl Line, No Migration
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