How to Monitor PocketBase Applications with Vigilmon

PocketBase is a single-binary backend that bundles SQLite, authentication, file storage, and a REST API into one deployable file. It's become popular for solo developers and small teams building apps fast. But like any backend, PocketBase needs external monitoring - SQLite can corrupt, the process can crash, and the built-in admin UI doesn't alert you when things go wrong.

Here's how to set up uptime monitoring for PocketBase with Vigilmon.

PocketBase's Built-In Health Endpoint

Good news: PocketBase ships with a health endpoint out of the box.


GET /api/health


Response:
json
{
"code": 200,
"message": "API is healthy."
}


No configuration needed. You can point Vigilmon directly at this endpoint.

Setting Up Vigilmon for PocketBase

1. Sign up at vigilmon.online
2. Click Add Monitor
3. Select HTTP(S)
4. URL: https://your-domain.com/api/health
5. Method: GET
6. Keyword check: Enter "message":"API is healthy" - this verifies PocketBase responded with its standard health message, not just any HTTP 200
7. Check interval: 1 minute for production apps
8. Alert channels: Add your email, Slack webhook, or PagerDuty

That's it. Vigilmon will now check your PocketBase instance every minute from multiple geographic regions.

What the Health Check Actually Verifies

PocketBase's /api/health checks that:

• The HTTP server is running and accepting connections
• The API layer is responding

It does not check:

• SQLite database integrity
• File storage accessibility
• Specific collection data

For a deeper health check, you can create a lightweight custom health route.

Custom Health Check with PocketBase Hooks

PocketBase supports hooks written in Go or JavaScript. You can create a custom health endpoint that verifies more:

`javascript
// pb_hooks/health.pb.js
routerAdd("GET", "/api/custom-health", (e) => {
try {
// Test database connectivity with a simple query
const records = .dao().findRecordsByFilter(
"_admins", // system collection
"1=1",
"-created",
1,
0
);

return e.json(200, {
  status: "ok",
  db: "connected",
  timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
});

} catch (err) {
return e.json(503, {
status: "error",
message: "Database check failed"
});
}
});
`

Point Vigilmon at /api/custom-health and use "status":"ok" as your keyword check.

SSL Certificate Monitoring

If PocketBase is behind a reverse proxy (Caddy, nginx, Traefik) that handles TLS, add a separate SSL monitor:

1. Add a new Vigilmon monitor
2. Select SSL Certificate
3. Enter your domain
4. Alert 14 days before expiry

This catches certificate renewal failures before they break your app.

Common PocketBase Deployment Setups

Fly.io + PocketBase: The health endpoint works the same way. Use your Fly.io app URL: https://your-app.fly.dev/api/health.

VPS with Caddy: Caddy handles SSL/reverse proxy. Vigilmon checks the public HTTPS endpoint; your health monitor verifies PocketBase is running behind Caddy.

Docker Compose: Set up Vigilmon to check the public domain. Add Docker's own healthcheck config for internal orchestration - the two complement each other.

Heartbeat Monitoring for PocketBase Cron Jobs

PocketBase supports scheduled jobs via hooks. Add a heartbeat to Vigilmon to ensure your cron jobs run:

`javascript
// pb_hooks/daily_sync.pb.js
cronAdd("dailySync", "0 0 * * *", () => {
// ...your job logic

// Signal Vigilmon
const res = .send({
url: "https://vigilmon.online/hb/your-heartbeat-id",
method: "POST",
});
});
`

Vigilmon alerts you if the heartbeat isn't received within the expected window.

Monitoring a PocketBase + Frontend Stack

If you're running a JavaScript frontend (SvelteKit, Nuxt, React) with PocketBase as the backend, monitor both independently:

Monitor	URL	Check
PocketBase API	https://api.yourapp.com/api/health	"message":"API is healthy"
Frontend	https://yourapp.com	Status 200
SSL	yourapp.com	Valid certificate

Why External Monitoring Matters for PocketBase

PocketBase's simplicity is its strength, but that single-process architecture means there's no built-in redundancy. If the process crashes:

• No automatic restart unless you've configured a process supervisor (systemd, Docker restart policy)
• No internal alerts - the process is simply gone
• Users see connection refused errors

Vigilmon's external monitoring catches this immediately and routes the alert to wherever your team is.

Get started free on Vigilmon - add your PocketBase health endpoint in under 2 minutes.