HTTP Check

The HTTP Check source generates metrics from synthetic checks against an HTTP or HTTPS endpoint. On each collection interval the collector sends a request to the configured target and records the response status and latency, so you can monitor endpoint availability and response codes from the collector itself.

Supported Telemetry Types

Platform	Metrics	Logs	Traces
Linux	✓
Windows	✓
macOS	✓

Prerequisites

• Bindplane Collector v1.40.0+.
• A reachable HTTP or HTTPS endpoint (hostname/IP and port) for the collector to check.
• For HTTPS checks, a TLS endpoint. For mutual TLS, a client certificate and private key, plus the certificate authority used to validate the server.

Configuration

General

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
Hostname	String		The hostname or IP address of the endpoint. Required.
Port	Integer		The port of the endpoint. Required.
Path	String	""	The endpoint's URL path.
Method	Enum	GET	HTTP request method. One of GET, HEAD, POST, PUT, DELETE, CONNECT, OPTIONS, TRACE, PATCH.

Advanced

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
Headers	Map	{}	Name/Value pairs added to the HTTP request headers.
Collection Interval	Integer	60	How often (seconds) to perform the check.
Initial Delay	Integer	1	How long the source should wait (seconds) before starting.

TLS

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
Enable TLS	Boolean	false	Whether or not to use TLS. When enabled, the check uses an https endpoint.
Skip TLS Certificate Verification	Boolean	false	Skip TLS certificate verification. Available when TLS is enabled.
Mutual TLS	Boolean	false	Whether or not to use mutual TLS (mTLS) authentication. Available when TLS is enabled.
TLS Certificate Authority File	String	""	Certificate authority used to validate TLS certificates. Available when TLS is enabled and certificate verification is not skipped.
TLS Client Certificate File	String	""	A TLS certificate used for client authentication. Available when TLS and mutual TLS are enabled.
TLS Client Private Key File	String	""	A TLS private key used for client authentication. Available when TLS and mutual TLS are enabled.

Response Validation

The HTTP Check receiver does not pass or fail a check based on a configurable status-code expectation. Instead, each check records the HTTP response status code and request duration as metrics, and exposes any client-side error (for example, a connection refusal, DNS failure, or TLS handshake error) as a separate error metric.

Define success and failure downstream using the recorded status code and error metrics. For example, treat 2xx and 3xx responses as healthy and alert on 4xx/5xx responses or on the presence of an error metric. A request that completes at the transport level reports its status code regardless of value, so a 404 or 500 is a successful check that returns a non-2xx status, not a check error.

Example Configuration

Standalone Source

For a basic check, only hostname and port are required.

apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Source
metadata:
  id: httpcheck
  name: httpcheck
spec:
  type: httpcheck
  parameters:
    - name: hostname
      value: 'localhost'
    - name: port
      value: '8080'
    - name: path
      value: '/health'
    - name: method
      value: 'GET'
    - name: enable_tls
      value: 'false'
    - name: collection_interval
      value: '60'
    - name: initial_delay
      value: '1'

Advanced: HTTPS with mutual TLS, custom method and headers

This example checks an HTTPS endpoint, authenticates with a client certificate (mutual TLS), uses a POST request, and sends custom request headers.

apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Source
metadata:
  id: httpcheck
  name: httpcheck
spec:
  type: httpcheck
  parameters:
    - name: hostname
      value: 'api.internal.example.com'
    - name: port
      value: '8443'
    - name: path
      value: '/v1/healthz'
    - name: method
      value: 'POST'
    - name: headers
      value:
        Accept: 'application/json'
        X-Health-Token: 'example-token'
    - name: enable_tls
      value: 'true'
    - name: insecure_skip_verify
      value: 'false'
    - name: mutual_tls
      value: 'true'
    - name: ca_file
      value: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ca.crt'
    - name: cert_file
      value: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/client.crt'
    - name: key_file
      value: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/client.key'
    - name: collection_interval
      value: '30'
    - name: initial_delay
      value: '5'

Configuration Tips

Choosing a method and path

• Point path at a lightweight health endpoint (for example, /health or /healthz) so the check does not exercise expensive application logic on every interval.
• Use HEAD instead of GET when you only care about reachability and response status, to avoid transferring a response body.

TLS and mutual TLS

• Set enable_tls to true to check an HTTPS endpoint. With TLS enabled the check builds an https endpoint from the hostname, port, and path.
• Use insecure_skip_verify only for endpoints with self-signed certificates in non-production environments. Prefer setting ca_file to the issuing authority so the server certificate is validated.
• For mutual TLS, set mutual_tls to true and provide both cert_file and key_file for the client identity.

Scheduling

• Tune collection_interval to balance freshness against load on the target. More frequent checks detect outages faster but add request volume.
• Use initial_delay to stagger startup when several checks run on the same collector.

Troubleshooting

Symptom: No metrics appear, or every check reports an error. Solution: Confirm the collector can reach the target on the configured hostname and port. A connection refusal, DNS failure, or timeout is recorded as a check error rather than a status code. Verify the path exists and the chosen method is allowed by the endpoint.

Symptom: HTTPS checks fail with a certificate or TLS handshake error. Solution: Ensure enable_tls is true for HTTPS targets. If the server uses a private or self-signed certificate, set ca_file to the issuing certificate authority. As a last resort in non-production environments, set insecure_skip_verify to true to bypass verification.

Symptom: A mutual TLS endpoint rejects the check. Solution: Set mutual_tls to true and provide a valid client cert_file and key_file. Confirm the client certificate is trusted by the server and has not expired.

Related Resources

• HTTP request methods (MDN)
• Go net/http Header reference
• Bindplane sources documentation