Why we pulse HTTPS speed (TTFB-style)
We are not a synthetic monitoring suite. We take a lightweight pulse: how long until your HTTPS homepage answers?
What CrowWake checks
A single HTTPS GET of your apex, measuring elapsed time and HTTP status. Over ~1.5s → warn. Over ~3s or HTTP 5xx → louder. We sample a limited body size—enough for a signal, not a full crawl. The free performance pulse uses the same thresholds with no login. This sits beside site-up and SSL so “slow” and “down” do not get confused. For the plain-English definition of Time to First Byte, see the dedicated TTFB guide. For the repeat “watch first-byte hourly” job, see website performance monitoring.
Why it matters
Email can be perfect while the site is on fire. A rising response time often precedes tickets. Agencies want one flock watching auth and “is it up and snappy enough?” before customers open a support thread. Operators searching for TTFB or website performance monitoring usually want that early rooster, not another lab score.
What “good enough” looks like
Consistent sub-second or low-second responses from the region of the probe. Occasional spikes happen—CrowWake alerts on sustained ugliness more than lab benchmarks. CDN cache hits and a healthy origin usually keep the pulse calm.
Quick triage when the pulse goes yellow
1) Re-run the free performance checker and note the ms + HTTP status. 2) Confirm the apex still resolves and TLS handshakes (DNS A + SSL checkers). 3) Check CDN cache hit rate and origin CPU/DB. 4) Look for a recent deploy or cache purge. 5) Add the domain so CrowWake crows on the next sustained spike instead of waiting for a client email.
If CrowWake crows
Check origin CPU, database, CDN cache misses, and recent deploys. Confirm DNS apex and TLS still look healthy (a hanging TLS handshake looks like “slow”). Remember probes run from specific regions; multi-region probes later will compare notes. Deeper Performance+ sampling is planned for paid slots—this check is the rooster. Full walkthrough: website performance monitoring guide.
Watch this on CrowWake
Add the domain, leave the boxes checked, and the flock will crow when this drifts.
Or try the free Performance checker with no login.
Deep dive: Website performance monitoring — watch the TTFB-style first-byte pulse so a silent origin/edge regression crows early.
Deep dive: What is TTFB? — Time to First Byte vs full page speed, with the same free performance checker.