PRTG Manual: HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor

The HTTP Push Data Advanced sensor displays data from received messages that are pushed via an HTTP request to PRTG. It provides a URL that you can use to push messages to the probe system via HTTP (secured with TLS 1.2 or not secure).

i_round_blueFor more information about the sensor usage, see section How to Use.

HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor

HTTP Push Data Advanced Sensor

i_square_cyanFor a detailed list and descriptions of the channels that this sensor can show, see section Channel List.

Sensor in Other Languages

  • Dutch: HTTP Push Data geavanceerd
  • French: Données avancé (HTTP Push)
  • German: HTTP Push-Daten (Erweitert)
  • Japanese: HTTP プッシュデータ（アドバンスト）
  • Portuguese: Dados de push HTTP avançado
  • Russian: HTTP: Данные push-объекта (расширенный)
  • Simplified Chinese: HTTP 高级推送数据
  • Spanish: Datos push (avanzado) (HTTP)

Remarks

Consider the following remarks and requirements for this sensor:

Remark

Description

Remote probe

If you want to add this sensor to a remote probe and use an HTTPS connection to send push notifications, you must import a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate into the \cert subfolder of the PRTG program directory on the remote probe. However, this certificate does not have to match the certificate that you use on the PRTG core server. For more information about SSL certificates, see the Paessler website: How to use your own SSL certificate with the PRTG web server

Cluster probe

This sensor does not support cluster probes. You can only set it up on local probes or remote probes.

IPv6

This sensor supports IPv6.

Performance impact

This sensor has a low performance impact.

Multiple channels

If you use this sensor with multiple channels, we recommend that you simultaneously push the data for all your channels to PRTG. You can push data to only one of your channels. However, all other channels record the value of 0 for this push message.

False alerts

This sensor might result in false alerts if the parent probe disconnects from the PRTG core server. In this case, the sensor shows the error message: The latest push message that the sensor received is older than the specified time threshold allows. (code: PE222).

Hosted probe

i_podYou cannot add this sensor to the hosted probe of a PRTG Hosted Monitor instance. If you want to use this sensor, add it to a remote probe device.

Basic Sensor Settings

Basic Sensor Settings

Basic Sensor Settings

The sensor has the following default tags that are automatically predefined in the sensor's settings when you add the sensor:

  • HttpPushSensor
  • PushData
  • PushSensor

i_square_cyanFor more information about basic sensor settings, see section Sensor Settings.

HTTP Push

HTTP Push

HTTP Push

Setting

Description

TLS Settings

Define the security of the incoming HTTP push requests:

  • HTTP (unsecure): Send push messages to the probe system via HTTP (not secure).
  • HTTPS low security (TLS 1.0 to 1.3 and weak ciphers): Send push messages to the probe system via HTTPS. The sensor supports connections secured with TLS 1.0 to TLS 1.3 and weak ciphers. It uses the SSL certificate that is delivered with PRTG or your own trusted SSL certificate that you imported for the PRTG web server.
    i_round_redIf you install the sensor on a remote probe, make sure that you import the same SSL certificates to the remote probe that you use on the PRTG core server.
  • HTTPS high security (TLS 1.2 to 1.3 and strong ciphers): Send push messages to the probe system via HTTPS. The sensor supports connections secured with TLS 1.2 to TLS 1.3 and strong ciphers. It uses the SSL certificate that is delivered with PRTG or your own trusted SSL certificate that you imported for the PRTG web server.
    i_round_redIf you install the sensor on a remote probe, make sure that you import the same SSL certificates to the remote probe that you use on the PRTG core server.

i_round_blueYou cannot change this value after sensor creation.

Port

This setting is only visible if you select HTTP (unsecure) above.

Enter the number of the port on which this sensor listens for incoming HTTP requests. The default port is 5050.

i_round_blueYou cannot change this value after sensor creation.

TLS Port

This setting is only visible if you select HTTPS low security (TLS 1.0 to 1.3 and weak ciphers) or HTTPS high security (TLS 1.2 to 1.3 and strong ciphers) above.

Enter the number of the port on which this sensor listens for incoming HTTPS requests. The default port is 5051.

i_round_blueYou cannot change this value after sensor creation.

Request Method

Select the request method of the webhook:

  • any: Do not use any filter for the request method.
  • GET (default): Select this method if the webhook uses GET.
  • POST: Select this method if the webhook sends POST data.
    i_round_redPOST data must be form-encoded request bodies with the same parameters as for GET requests.

Identification Token

This is the token that PRTG uses to find the matching sensor for the incoming message. When you create the sensor, this token is {__guid__}.

PRTG replaces this token with an automatically generated token after sensor creation. If you want to use a different identification token, you can edit it during or after sensor creation.

i_round_bluePRTG does not automatically replace the token if you change it already during sensor creation.

Request Handling

Define what PRTG does with the incoming messages:

  • Discard request: Do not store the pushed messages.
  • Store result: Store the last message received from the sensor in the \Logs\sensors subfolder of the PRTG data directory on the probe system. The file name is Request for Sensor [ID].txt. This setting is for debugging purposes. PRTG overwrites this file with each scanning interval.

HTTP Push Data

HTTP Push Data

HTTP Push Data

Setting

Description

No Incoming Data

Define which status the sensor shows if it does not receive a push message for at least two scanning intervals:

  • Ignore and keep last status (default): Keep the status as defined by the last message that the sensor received.
    i_round_blueThe parent probe must be connected to keep the last status. If the parent probe disconnects, the sensor shows the Unknown status. If the parent probe connects again, the sensor does not automatically switch from the Unknown status to the last status before the parent probe disconnected.
  • Switch to unknown status: Show the Unknown status if the sensor does not receive a message for at least two scanning intervals.
  • Switch to down status after x minutes: Show the Down status if the sensor does not receive a message within a specific time span. Define the time threshold below.

Time Threshold (Minutes)

This setting is only visible if you select Switch to down status after x minutes above.

Enter a time threshold in minutes. If this time elapses, the sensor shows the Down status if it does not receive a push message within this time span. Enter an integer. The maximum threshold is 1440 minutes.

Sensor Display

Sensor Display

Sensor Display

Setting

Description

Primary Channel

Select a channel from the list to define it as the primary channel. In the device tree, PRTG displays the last value of the primary channel below the sensor's name. The available options depend on what channels are available for this sensor.

i_round_blueYou can set a different primary channel later by clicking b_channel_primary below a channel gauge on the sensor's Overview tab.

Graph Type

Define how this sensor shows different channels:

  • Show channels independently (default): Show a graph for each channel.
  • Stack channels on top of each other: Stack channels on top of each other to create a multi-channel graph. This generates a graph that visualizes the different components of your total traffic.
    i_round_redYou cannot use this option in combination with manual Vertical Axis Scaling (available in the channel settings).

Stack Unit

This setting is only visible if you select Stack channels on top of each other above.

Select a unit from the list. PRTG stacks all channels with this unit on top of each other. By default, you cannot exclude single channels from stacking if they use the selected unit. However, there is an advanced procedure to do so.

Inherited Settings

By default, all of these settings are inherited from objects that are higher in the hierarchy. We recommend that you change them centrally in the root group settings if necessary. To change a setting for this object only, click b_inherited_enabled under the corresponding setting name to disable the inheritance and to display its options.

i_square_cyanFor more information, see section Inheritance of Settings.

How to Use

This function is known as webhook. Basically, a webhook works like a push notification. Webhooks are usually triggered by some event (for example, a new comment on a blog post) and send according information to a specified URL. The HTTP Push Data Advanced sensor then displays the data of pushed and received messages.

The data that is pushed to this sensor must be valid XML or JSON.

i_square_cyanFor more information about the return value format, see section Custom Sensors.

The HTTP Push Data Advanced sensor uses the following URLs depending on the type of HTTP request:

  • GET (default) requests: http://<probe_ip>:<port_number>/<token>?content=<valid XML_or_JSON>
     
    The XML encoded value of the content parameter has to match the format as defined in section Custom Sensors.
  • POST requests: http://<probe_ip>:<port_number>/<token>
     
    This HTTP request method sends the XML or JSON encoded HTTP body as POST data. The body has to match the format as defined in section Custom Sensors. For POST requests, use an HTTP content type other than application/x-www-form-urlencoded. We strongly recommend the HTTP content type application/xml or application/json.

Replace the parameters <probe_ip>, <port_number>, <token>, and <valid XML_or_JSON> (for GET requests) with the corresponding values:

  • You can define port number and identification token in the sensor settings.
  • The probe IP is the IP address of the probe system with this sensor.
  • The content of GET requests has to be valid XML or JSON in the PRTG API format.
    i_round_blueThe content has to be URL encoded (for example, the whitespaces in the sample URL below). Most browsers do URL-encoding automatically.

Minimum example for the GET method that returns one static channel value:

http://127.0.0.1:5050/XYZ123?content=<prtg><result><channel>MyChannel</channel><value>10</value></result><text>this%20is%20a%20message</text></prtg>

i_round_blueBy default, values within the <value> tags in the returned XML or JSON must be integers to be processed. If float values are returned, you must explicitly define this value type as defined in section Custom Sensors with <float> tags, otherwise the sensor shows 0 values in affected channels. Example:

http://127.0.0.1:5050/XYZ123?content=<prtg><result><channel>MyChannel</channel><value>10.45</value><float>1</float></result><text>this%20is%20a%20message</text></prtg>

i_round_blueYou can use several sensors with the same port and identification token. In this case, the data of push messages is shown in each of these sensors.

Channel List

i_round_blueWhich channels the sensor actually shows might depend on the target device, the available components, and the sensor setup.

Channel

Description

Downtime

In the channel table on the Overview tab, this channel never shows any values. PRTG uses this channel in graphs and reports to show the amount of time in which the sensor was in the Down status.

[Value]

The data received from the message encoded in valid XML or JSON in several channels

i_round_blueThis channel is the primary channel by default.

i_square_cyanFor more information about the return value format, see section Custom Sensors.

More

i_square_blueKNOWLEDGE BASE

What security features does PRTG include?

My HTTP sensors don't work. What can I do?