Guide

What Is Synthetic Monitoring?

By Gary Gillespie · Last updated

Synthetic monitoring is the technique underneath checkout, cart and product monitoring. Here's what it means and how it fits alongside the other monitoring types.

The meaning of "synthetic"

"Synthetic" traffic is generated by automation rather than real customers — a simulated user. A synthetic monitor launches a browser, performs a scripted journey, and asserts the expected outcomes. It runs the same code a real visitor would, so it validates function, not just availability.

Synthetic vs uptime vs real-user monitoring

TypeWhat it answersCatches broken checkout?
Uptime monitoringIs the URL responding?No
Real-user monitoring (RUM)How are real visitors experiencing it?Only after users hit it
Synthetic monitoringDoes the journey actually work?Yes, proactively

RUM is valuable but reactive — it needs real users to encounter the problem first. Synthetic monitoring is proactive: it can catch a break at 3am when no one is shopping, before the morning rush hits it.

When to use synthetic monitoring

Any time a multi-step flow directly maps to revenue or a critical outcome — checkout, sign-up, login, booking. For ecommerce, the checkout journey is the obvious candidate, which is why checkout monitoring is simply synthetic monitoring pointed at the purchase path.

Frequently asked questions

What is synthetic monitoring used for?
Proactively verifying that critical user journeys — checkout, login, sign-up — actually work, by simulating them with automated browsers on a schedule rather than waiting for real users to hit a problem.
Is synthetic monitoring better than real-user monitoring?
They're complementary. RUM shows how real visitors experience your site; synthetic monitoring proactively catches breaks before users do. For protecting checkout, synthetic monitoring is the proactive safety net.
Does synthetic monitoring need code?
Traditional tools do. Purpose-built ones like Revenue Shield auto-generate the flows for Shopify and self-heal them, so you don't write or maintain scripts.

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