Services in everyday language
Email, file storage, website, phone. No server names.
Guide · Operations
Setting up a status page. What goes on it, where it runs.
In every outage the first question is the same: is it just me or everyone? A status page answers it without a phone call. This guide shows what goes on it, how to set it up in five steps and which free options exist.
By Paul Czichos, consulting and project support at czichos.net GmbH · Updated
Why a status page
Why a status page? The first question of every outage.
When logging in fails, everyone in the office checks their own computer, the Wi-Fi and the browser, then calls a colleague. A status page cuts that down to a glance.
It also relieves the people who deal with it: instead of ten calls with the same question, a note on the page is enough. And it builds trust, because it reports unwelcome news too.
What goes on it
What goes on a status page. Six pieces of information are enough.
The page is for people who want to get on with their work.
One status per service
Operational, degraded, down. Each level has a clear colour and a word.
The overall status at the top
One sentence that says whether everything is running. Details come below.
Notices and maintenance
A short text when something is known or maintenance is due. With a date instead of “today”.
When it was last checked
Without the time of the last check, nobody knows whether “operational” is current.
A way to report problems
An address or number for reports that works even during an outage.
Five steps
Setting up a status page. How to set up a status page.
Measurement, location and responsibility matter more than the tool.
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Step 1: List the services
Which services do your people actually use and would miss? Five to ten entries are enough for most organisations.
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Step 2: Decide how the status is determined
Maintained by hand, a status page is quickly out of date. An automatic check is better, one that tests logging in as well as reachability.
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Step 3: Run it separately
The status page must not run on the same server as the services it monitors. Otherwise it goes down with them. The simplest solution is a separate address with a different provider.
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Step 4: Make the address known
As a bookmark in every browser, in the office’s email signature and on the outage sheet on the wall.
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Step 5: Settle who is responsible
Who writes the notices, who decides on maintenance windows? One person and a deputy are enough, and both need to know.
Do it yourself or have it run
Free status pages: Uptime Kuma and others. A simple status page costs nothing.
There are good free tools. The effort lies in the monitoring behind them.
Set it up yourself
If you have a few publicly reachable services
- Uptime KumaOpen source, checks addresses and includes a status page. Runs on a small server, separate from your services.
- UpptimeA status page that runs entirely on GitHub, with no server of your own. Free for public projects.
- The free tier of an uptime serviceSeveral providers offer free plans with a simple status page. Check where the provider is based.
Have it run
If the page should show what happens behind the login
- Function, not just reachabilityAn external test cannot see whether logging in works. That needs access to the systems.
- Nobody updates the noticesIf the page has said “operational” for days while everyone is on the phone, it loses people’s trust.
- Many services, several providersWhen email, files and phones sit with different providers, someone has to bring it all together.
On our own behalf: we earn money from the second column. If your association has a website and a few mailboxes, set up Uptime Kuma or a free service and make the address known.
Common questions
Status page FAQ. What associations ask.
What is a status page?
A web page that shows whether an organisation’s services are working right now, such as email, file storage and website. During an outage it shows, without a phone call, whether the problem is on your side.
Why must the status page not run on our own server?
Otherwise it goes down with the services it is meant to report on. It therefore belongs on separate infrastructure.
Does a status page have to be public?
No. If only your own people use the services, a page known internally or behind a login is enough. Making it public pays off when members or partners are affected.
How current does a status page need to be?
Automatic checks typically run every one to a few minutes. The page should show when it last checked.
Your own status page
Every organisation gets its own status page with us under status.connecteeva.eu. The statuses come from our monitoring, which also checks logging in. We add notices. The page runs separately from the services it reports on.
Want a status page? Ask us.
Tell us which services your organisation uses and who runs them. We will tell you whether our status page fits or a free tool is enough.
No obligation and no contract. We usually reply within one working day and are happy to show you the tool in a short call.
Prefer to reach us directly? Send an email · call 030 994048000