What tool would you recommend to monitor web server availability?

Selecting availability metrics as the tool to monitor web server availability is a strong choice because this allows for the assessment of the uptime and responsiveness of a web server. Availability metrics typically track how often a service is up and running compared to its downtime, providing a clear indicator of the server’s reliability. These metrics can include uptime percentages, response times, and service-level agreements (SLAs) which can inform administrators about the current state of the server and identify any potential issues before they impact users.

While performance benchmarking can evaluate how the server performs under various loads, it does not specifically focus on ongoing availability. User demand analysis helps to understand the volume and behavior of users interacting with the server, but it does not measure server uptime directly. Error logs are essential for diagnosing problems but are reactive in nature, often presenting issues after they have occurred rather than continuously monitoring the state of availability. Therefore, relying on availability metrics provides a more proactive and direct approach to ensuring that a web server remains accessible to users.