check_site_status.rb
This little script checks whether or not a website can be reached. It then logs the result to a text file and, if provided, emails an alert when the site is down.
Usage
$ cd .../check_site_status
$ bundle install
$ ruby lib/check_site_status.rb <URL> [email_to] [alternate_log_directory]
Cron
Call this script from Cron to set up a site monitor so you can always know when your site isn't up! In order to call Ruby files from your crontab, you must load an environment containing the Ruby runtime. Here's an example that runs every ten minutes, just replace my BASH_ENV with the path to load your environment.
SHELL=/bin/bash
BASH_ENV = $HOME/.bash_profile
*/10 * * * * $HOME/code/scripts/check_site_status.rb http://brandonrubin.me steelsouls@gmail.com
In order for email to work, you must set up a local mail server and add a $USER_EMAIL environment variable. I run this with Ubuntu 12.04 and 13.04, and my favorite mail server is Postfix. All you really need to get working is outgoing mail, which I've found to be easier than incoming, as you don't have to open any ports, set up spam filtering, or worry about what type of mailbox you have.
Dependencies
- Faraday gem
- Pony gem
These can be installed manually or by issuing 'bundle install' inside the script's directory.
License
Copyright (C) 2013 Brandon Rubin (steelsouls), MIT License