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Quick Start Guide

Get CuliUptime running in under 5 minutes! This guide covers the fastest path to monitoring your first service.

🚀 Option 1: Cloud Service (Fastest)​

Step 1: Access the Cloud Service​

  1. Visit uptime.culiops.net
  2. Click "Login with Google" or "Login with GitHub"
  3. Authorize the application

Step 2: Create Your First Monitor​

  1. Click "Add Monitor" on the dashboard
  2. Fill in the basic details: 
    Name: My Website
    URL: https://your-website.com
    Check Interval: 5 minutes
  3. Click "Save Monitor"

Step 3: Verify It's Working​

  • Your monitor will appear on the dashboard
  • First check runs within 30 seconds
  • Status updates automatically

🎉 Done! You're now monitoring your first service.

🏠 Option 2: Self-Hosted Development (5-10 minutes)​

Perfect for local development, testing, and proof-of-concept deployments.

Prerequisites​

  • Docker & Docker Compose installed
  • 2GB RAM minimum
  • Port 3000 and 8000 available

Step 1: Clone and Setup​

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/chiplonton/culiuptime.git
cd culiuptime

# Copy environment template
cp .env.example .env

# Generate secure secrets (required!)
openssl rand -hex 32  # Use for SECRET_KEY
openssl rand -hex 32  # Use for AGENT_SECRET_KEY

Step 2: Configure Environment​

Edit .env with your secrets:

SECRET_KEY=your_generated_secret_key_here
AGENT_SECRET_KEY=your_different_secret_key_here

# Optional: Configure OAuth for login
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_client_secret

Step 3: Start Services​

# Start all services
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d

# Initialize database
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml run --rm culiuptime alembic upgrade head

Step 4: Access Your Instance​

Step 5: Create Your First Monitor​

  1. Open http://localhost:3000
  2. Login with OAuth or create local account
  3. Add your first monitor following the cloud service steps above

🎉 Your self-hosted CuliUptime is ready!

🏭 Option 3: Production Self-Hosted (30-60 minutes)​

For production environments requiring SSL, security hardening, and enterprise features.

📖 Complete Production Setup
Production deployment involves SSL automation, security configuration, and resource optimization. See the Self-Hosting Guide for detailed production instructions.

Production Features​

  • 🔒 Automatic SSL with Let's Encrypt
  • ⚡ Optimized Performance for 2vCPU/4GB systems
  • 🛡️ Security Hardening with firewall and rate limiting
  • 📊 Comprehensive Monitoring and log management
  • 💾 Automated Backups for data protection

Production Quick Start​

# Clone and configure
git clone https://github.com/chiplonton/culiuptime.git
cd culiuptime
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with production settings

# Initialize SSL and start production services  
DOMAIN=your-domain.com EMAIL=[email protected] ./scripts/init-letsencrypt.sh

# Wait for services to initialize
sleep 30

# Initialize database schema (CRITICAL STEP)
docker compose -f docker-compose.prd.yml exec backend alembic upgrade head

👉 Follow Production Setup Guide

📊 Understanding Your Dashboard​

Once you're up and running, you'll see:

Monitor Status Icons​

  • 🟢 Online - Service is responding correctly
  • 🔴 Offline - Service is down or not responding
  • 🟡 Warning - Partial issues detected
  • ⚪ Pending - First check in progress

Key Metrics​

  • Uptime % - Availability over the last 30 days
  • Response Time - Average response time
  • Last Check - When the service was last verified

🔔 Setting Up Alerts​

Email Alerts (Available Now)​

  1. Go to Settings → Notifications
  2. Verify your email address
  3. Choose alert types:
    • Downtime alerts
    • Recovery notifications
    • Weekly summaries

Coming Soon​

  • 📱 Slack/Discord webhooks
  • 📲 Telegram notifications
  • 📧 SMS alerts (Twilio integration)

🌍 Adding More Monitoring Locations​

Cloud Service​

  • Built-in global agent network
  • US, EU, and Asia-Pacific regions
  • Request additional locations via GitHub Issues

Self-Hosted​

  • Deploy PHP agents on hosting providers or VPS/servers globally
  • Requires SSL setup and web-accessible deployment
  • Agent Deployment Guide for complete instructions

❓ Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Services not starting?

# Check logs
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml logs

# Ensure ports are available
sudo netstat -tulpn | grep :3000
sudo netstat -tulpn | grep :8000

Authentication not working?

  • Verify OAuth credentials in .env
  • Check callback URLs in OAuth provider settings
  • Ensure SECRET_KEY is properly set

Database errors?

# Reset database
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml down -v
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml run --rm culiuptime alembic upgrade head

🎯 Next Steps​

  1. Set up additional monitors for all your services
  2. Configure email alerts to get notified instantly
  3. Deploy global agents for worldwide monitoring
  4. Explore the API for integrations

🆘 Need Help?​

Happy monitoring! 🚀