--- sourceDocument: Australia IT Operations Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-operations-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia IT Operations Management ft:clusterId : - itom bundleId : - itom workflow : - Technology --- # Explore # Exploring synthetic monitoring {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Exploring synthetic monitoring Synthetic monitoring in ServiceNow enables proactive, automated testing of HTTP service endpoints by simulating user interactions. It continuously tests endpoint availability, response times, and specific response content by calling endpoints registered in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). When tests fail predefined criteria---such as incorrect status codes or slow response times---alerts can be triggered before real users are affected, helping to identify bugs, performance issues, and outages early. Show full answer Show less Tests can be executed from various locations, including an Agent Client Collector (ACC) within your network, a MID Server, or directly from the ServiceNow platform (for publicly accessible endpoints). ## Monitor Creation and User Roles ServiceNow customers can create synthetic monitors through multiple methods: * **Manual creation:** Configure monitors for any HTTP endpoint by specifying endpoint details manually. * **Discovered APIs:** Create monitors for APIs discovered by API Insights, linked to API component CIs in the CMDB. * **Incident-based creation:** Generate monitors directly from incident records to help prevent recurrence. Key user roles in synthetic monitoring include: * **Administrators (Admin role):** Manage roles, create/edit monitors, and access test results. * **Service owners (Editor role):** Create and modify monitors, and review test outcomes. * **NOC operators (Viewer role):** Monitor test results and respond to alerts. ## Operational Workflow Service owners choose critical endpoints to monitor based on business priorities. Admins or service owners configure test locations, which can include ServiceNow's hosted location, ACC Proxy clusters, or MID Servers. After configuring monitors, they review test results, troubleshoot failures, and set up alerts for test failures. Operators and owners continuously monitor test outcomes and respond to alerts to maintain service health. ## Benefits for ServiceNow Customers * **Comprehensive dashboard:** View an aggregated status of all monitors for quick health checks. * **Detailed insights:** Access monitor-specific details including configuration, test success rates, response times, historical logs, and associated alerts. * **Early detection:** Receive real-time notifications on outages or test failures to address issues proactively. * **Customizable monitoring:** Edit or deactivate monitors to align with evolving business requirements. * **Integration with Service Observability:** Embed synthetic monitoring results within ServiceNow dashboards for consolidated observability. ## Next Steps To fully leverage synthetic monitoring, customers should explore ServiceNow's guidance on configuring synthetic monitors, identifying system issues, and integrating with Service Observability, enabling enhanced visibility and faster response to service disruptions. Learn how synthetic monitoring provides proactive, automated testing of service endpoints. By simulating user interactions, it can identify bugs, performance issues, and outages before they impact real users. ## Synthetic monitoring overview {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__cf-exploring-parent-overview} Synthetic monitors continually call HTTP endpoints in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) to test availability, response times, or the presence of a defined string in the response body. When a test fails the configured criteria, it can alert you to endpoint issues before your customers do. For example, you might create a monitor that tests the GET HTTP endpoint of a service. You could configure that monitor to check for a status code of 200 and a response time of under 500 ms. If any code other than `200` is returned or the request takes longer than 500 ms, the test fails. An alert can then be generated and sent through Event Management. The synthetic monitoring tests can be run by an Agent Client Collector (ACC) deployed in your network, on a MID Server, or on the ServiceNow platform. Note: The HTTP endpoints must exist in the HTTP Endpoints \[cmdb_ci_endpoint_http\] table. Endpoints tested from the ServiceNow platform must be publicly accessible. ## Monitor creation options {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__section_monitor_creation_options} You can create synthetic monitors in the following ways: Manual monitor creation : Create monitors for any HTTP endpoint by manually configuring the endpoint details. See [Create and edit a synthetic monitor](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Kv~FNr5xvxNEpeoKilf9Og "Create or edit a synthetic monitor to test the availability and performance of your HTTP endpoints before your users discover issues."). Monitors for discovered APIs : Create monitors for APIs discovered through API Insights. Each discovered API is represented in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) as an API component CI, and you create the monitor directly against that existing CI. See [Create a synthetic monitor for a discovered API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/CbHUWPpALccQ4dyeXnBfIg "Create a synthetic monitor to test the availability of APIs discovered through API Insights."). Monitors from incidents : Create monitors directly from incident records to prevent future occurrences. See [Create synthetic monitors from incidents](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/38hBP~etepLkZKdYIFIWKw "Create synthetic monitors from incidents to proactively track endpoint failures and reduce repeat occurrences."). ## Synthetic monitoring users {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__cf-exploring-parent-users} {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__table_ldk_l2v_pdc__entry__2} | User | Description | |-|-| | Synthetic monitoring administrator (Admin role) | Assigns roles, creates and edits monitors, and views monitor tests and their results. | | Service owner (Editor role) | Creates and edits monitors and can also view monitor tests and their results. | | Network operation center (NOC) operator (Viewer role) | Monitors tests and their results. | [Table 1. Synthetic monitoring users] {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__table_ldk_l2v_pdc} ## Synthetic monitoring customer-hosted workflow {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__cf-exploring-parent-workflow} Figure 1. Synthetic monitoring workflow Admins, service owners, and NOC operators use synthetic monitoring in the following way: 1. As a service owner, you determine which endpoints to monitor based on business criticality. 2. As an admin or service owner, you configure locations to run the monitor from. Note: The ServiceNow hosted location is available by default and doesn't need to be configured. However, endpoints tested by that location must be publicly available. You can also run the monitor from an ACC Proxy cluster or a MID Server. 3. As an admin or service owner, you configure the monitor and then after it runs once, review the results of the tests. If the results aren't successful, you troubleshoot the configuration. You can also create an alert that fires when a test fails. 4. Synthetic monitoring runs tests based on the monitor's configuration and reports the results of each test. 5. As a service owner or operator, you monitor the test results and also respond to any generated alerts. {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__cf-exploring-parent-workflow-ol} ## Synthetic monitoring benefits {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__cf-exploring-parent-benefits} {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__table_odk_l2v_pdc__entry__3} | Benefit | Feature | Users | |-|-|-| | View aggregate monitor information. View the synthetic monitoring home page where you can: * See an aggregate view of all monitors * View the status of all monitors. * Drill down into a monitor's details {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__ul_xp2_xl2_h2c} | [View aggregate information about the monitors](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/AKSCMeNewKJt5wtAtZ_T4Q#identifying-system-issues__section_yll_v5k_fdc). | Operators, service owners | | Visualize synthetic test results. View the details page for a monitor where you can see: * The status and configuration of the monitor. * Charts that display test success and response time. * A historical log of synthetic test runs, including details and the response body. * A listing of alerts associated with the monitor. {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__ul_qrq_24w_sdc} | [View a monitor and its tests](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/AKSCMeNewKJt5wtAtZ_T4Q#identifying-system-issues__section_yx4_2vk_fdc). | Operators, service owners | | Get real-time notifications for outages before they impact users. | [Optionally configure alerts when tests don't succeed.](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/yT33gaBszox00OUCwss6Bw "Plan and configure your implementation of synthetic monitoring.") | Operators, service owners | | Share insights with stakeholders. | [View aggregate monitor information](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/jnmETJ0eXXj9awWNb0PSAw "View information about all your synthetic monitors."). | Operators, service owners | | Update monitors to match your business needs. | [Edit existing monitors, including deactivation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/TtoVo74nvjNgTLDnAV2SRw "Edit or delete synthetic monitors after creating them."). | Service owner | | Embed monitor results in a Service Observability dashboard. | [Use synthetic monitoring with Service Observability](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zt4MLFgt9hH~KnYJ1UH67A "Create a synthetic monitor to test your service's endpoints. Then display the results by customizing a Service Observability dashboard.") | Service owner | [Table 2. Synthetic monitoring benefits] {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__table_odk_l2v_pdc} ## What to explore next {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__cf-exploring-parent-links} To learn more about configuring and using synthetic monitoring, see: * [Configuring synthetic monitoring](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/yT33gaBszox00OUCwss6Bw "Plan and configure your implementation of synthetic monitoring.") * [Identifying system issues with synthetic monitoring](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/AKSCMeNewKJt5wtAtZ_T4Q "Tests run by synthetic monitors enable service owners and operators to view service endpoint performance at scale.") * [Synthetic monitoring reference](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/gauJox6Yreq6YoqVc2HdvA "Reference topics provide additional information about the synthetic monitoring application, such as components installed and page details.") * [Use synthetic monitoring with Service Observability](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zt4MLFgt9hH~KnYJ1UH67A "Create a synthetic monitor to test your service's endpoints. Then display the results by customizing a Service Observability dashboard.") {#exploring-synthetic-monitoring__ul_pdk_l2v_pdc}