How to use push monitoring via HTTP

Using push monitoring via HTTP with PRTG: Step-by-Step Guide

How to set up HTTP push monitoring

Add an HTTP Push sensor in PRTG

1. Create a new device or use an existing device with the IP address of your probe system, for example, the probe device, or with the DNS name of your PRTG Hosted Monitor instance.
   
   
2. Add an HTTP Push sensor to the new device or the probe device: right-click the respective device and select Add Sensor from the context menu. Then filter for Push Message Receiver under Technology Used?.
   
   
3. Click the sensor that you want to add. Choose between the HTTP Push Count sensor, the HTTP Push Data sensor, the HTTP Push Data Advanced sensor, or the HTTP IoT Push Data Advanced sensor.

4. In section HTTP Push, define the following settings:

• Select the security of the HTTP requests. You can choose between HTTP (unsecure) and HTTPS (secured with TLS 1.2 only).
  Note: The HTTP IoT Push Data Advanced sensor can only use HTTPS.
• Enter the Port on which the sensor listens for HTTP requests. The default port is 5050 for HTTP and 5051 for HTTPS.
• Choose the HTTP Request Method of the webhook. This can be ANY, GET, or POST.
  Note: The request method POST sends the XML or JSON encoded HTTP body as POST data. For POST requests, use an HTTP content type other than application/x-www-form-urlencoded. We strongly recommend that you use the HTTP content types application/xml or application/json.
• The Identification Token is the token that PRTG uses to find the matching sensor for an incoming push message. When you create the sensor, this token is {_guid_}. PRTG replaces this value with an automatically generated token. You can also enter a custom identification token, if required.
  Note: The Identification Token setting for the HTTP IoT Push Data Advanced sensor can be found in section HTTP Push Authentication.
• For the HTTP Push Data sensor, you also need to define the Value Type of the data that the external device sends. Choose between Integer, Float, or Counter. This setting can be found in section HTTP Push Data.

The HTTP Push Data Advanced and HTTP IoT Push Data Advanced sensors can be reached via the following URLs, depending on the type of HTTP request:

• GET request:
  http://<probe_ip_address>:<port_number>/<identification_token>?content=<valid_XML_or_JSON>
• POST request:
  http://<probe_ip_address>:<port_number>/<identification_token>

Replace the parameters with the following values:

• The <probe_ip_address> is the IP address of the probe system that runs the sensor. For PRTG Hosted Monitor, it is the DNS name of the respective instance.
• The <port_number> is the port that you entered during the sensor setup. You can find the port number in the sensor settings.
  Note: For the HTTP IoT Push Data Advanced sensor, the port is always 5051. It cannot be changed.
• The <identification_token> is the value that you defined during sensor setup or the default value that PRTG automatically created. You can find the identification token in the sensor settings.
• The ?content parameter for GET requests must be <valid_XML_or_JSON> and has to match the format as defined in the PRTG Manual: Custom Sensors. The content specifies custom channels and optional text messages that PRTG shows as the sensor message. The text message must be URL encoded.