Checkly

Overview

Checkly is an active reliability platform that helps developers catch bugs before users do. It uses Playwright to run synthetic monitoring and end-to-end tests from global locations. By treating monitoring as code, teams can integrate testing directly into their CI/CD pipelines to ensure constant uptime.

Founder story

While working in tech leadership roles, Hannes Lenke and Tim Nolet grew frustrated with legacy monitoring tools that felt disconnected from the actual coding process. They realized that developers wanted to write tests in JavaScript, not click through clunky dashboards. Teaming up with Timo Euteneuer in Berlin, they built Checkly to finally merge synthetic monitoring directly into the modern developer workflow.

What it does

• Runs automated browser tests from global locations
• Monitors API endpoints for uptime and speed
• Alerts developers instantly when workflows break
• Integrates directly into modern CI/CD pipelines
• Tracks performance metrics and historical trends.

Who it's for

• Software engineers
• DevOps engineers
• QA testers
• Engineering managers.

Why it works

• Monitoring as Code: Allows developers to write and manage checks using standard code repositories instead of manual dashboards
• Playwright Powered: Uses the industry-standard testing framework to simulate real user interactions flawlessly
• Global Network: Runs tests from over 20 global data centers to ensure performance matches local user experiences
• Instant Alerts: Connects seamlessly with Slack, PagerDuty, and custom webhooks for immediate incident response
• Developer Focused: Built specifically for modern workflows with a powerful CLI and native Vercel integration.

Growth strategies

• Coined and heavily championed the 'Monitoring as Code' movement to build a strong community around developer- driven operations.
• Leveraged open- source popularity by standardizing entirely on Playwright for automated browser checks.
• Built seamless native integrations with platforms like Vercel to capture users right at the deployment stage.
• Invested heavily in high- quality developer education, hosting webinars and creating comprehensive documentation.

Alternatives

• Datadog
• Pingdom
• Cypress
• New Relic

Comparison overview

• Datadog: A massive enterprise observability platform that can be overwhelming and expensive for simple synthetic tests.
• Pingdom: A legacy uptime monitoring tool that lacks modern developer workflows and advanced browser interactions.
• Cypress: A powerful testing framework, but primarily used for local or CI testing rather than continuous global monitoring.
• New Relic: A heavy APM tool that focuses more on deep server metrics rather than proactive end-to-end user journeys.
• Unlike legacy ping tools or heavy APMs, Checkly is hyper-focused on 'Monitoring as Code' for the modern developer. It bridges the gap between testing and monitoring by allowing engineers to write Playwright scripts once and run them continuously from a global network, all managed directly from their Git repository.