Cron executes
Your existing scheduler starts the task at its normal time.
CRON JOB MONITORING
Know when your cron jobs stop running
Upnora does not execute your cron jobs. It checks that they executed successfully by waiting for a heartbeat, then alerts you when the expected signal is missing.
Cron executes→Heartbeat sent→Healthy
Cron fails→No heartbeat→Alert
MONITOR, DO NOT EXECUTE
Keep the boundary clear.
Webcron and other schedulers run jobs. Upnora monitors the result. Put a heartbeat call after the successful part of your script and get a signal when the schedule becomes silent.
Script finishes
The job sends a secure heartbeat after the work succeeds.
Upnora watches
A missing heartbeat becomes a clear failure signal.
COMMON JOBS TO WATCH
Protect the quiet work your team depends on.
Database backupsBilling jobsNightly importsEmail processingData synchronizationReport generation
HOW TO MONITOR A CRON JOB
Keep your scheduler. Add a success signal.
Cron job failure monitoring does not require replacing the scheduler that already runs your tasks. Add a heartbeat request to the successful end of the script, then create a matching heartbeat monitor in Upnora with the expected interval and grace period.
If the job crashes before it reaches the heartbeat call, the signal is missing. The same is true if the server is unavailable, a dependency fails, or a deployment prevents the task from starting. Instead of discovering the problem during the next manual check, your team receives a clear indication that the scheduled work did not report.
This approach is useful for database backups, billing and subscription processing, email queues, nightly imports, report generation and cleanup tasks. Upnora monitors whether the job reports; it does not execute, schedule or replace your cron service.
FAQ
Cron job monitoring, clearly explained.
What is cron job monitoring?
Cron job monitoring checks that a scheduled job continues to run by waiting for a heartbeat after the job completes.
Does Upnora execute cron jobs?
No. Upnora does not schedule or execute cron jobs. It tells you when a job stops running or fails to report.
How can I know if a cron job failed?
Add a heartbeat call to the successful end of the job. If the expected heartbeat is missing, Upnora can alert you.
WATCH THE JOB, KEEP YOUR SCHEDULER