# Quickstart

This guide takes a new Spectate account to a working setup. At the end, Spectate checks one website, sends you an email when the website goes down, and shows its status on a public status page. You do every step in the dashboard at [app.spectate.net](https://app.spectate.net).

## Create an account

1. Open [app.spectate.net/register](https://app.spectate.net/register).
2. Enter your name, email address and password.
3. Select **Create account**.
4. Open the email from Spectate and select the verification link.

To sign up with GitHub, Google or Microsoft, select the provider above the form instead.

Spectate creates a team for you with your name, for example "Ada Lovelace's Team". The team starts a 14-day trial with the limits of the Team plan. You do not need a payment card for the trial. To change the name of the team, go to **Team** and edit **Team name**. See [Teams and roles](/account/teams-and-roles) and [Plans and billing](/account/plans-and-billing).

The dashboard opens on **Overview** with a setup checklist. The checklist shows which of the steps below are done.

## Add an HTTPS monitor

A [monitor](/monitors/introduction) checks one target from one region, at a fixed interval.

1. In the sidebar, select **Monitors**.
2. Select **Create monitor**.
3. Under **Type**, select **HTTPS**.
4. In **Target**, enter the address without `https://`, for example `example.com/health`.
5. Check the **Name**. Spectate fills it in from the target.
6. Under **Interval**, select how often Spectate checks the target. The default is 5 minutes.
7. Under **Primary region**, select the region nearest to your users. The default is **Europe**.
8. Select **Create and start**.

The monitor is pending until its first check. After a successful check, the monitor is up. For HTTPS monitors, the dialog also turns on [certificate checks](/monitors/certificates).

The shortest interval depends on the plan: 60 seconds on Starter, 30 seconds on Team and Business. The trial allows 30 seconds.

## Send alerts to your email address

A new team has no [channels](/alerting/channels) and no [escalation paths](/alerting/escalation-paths). Until you add them, an alert notifies nobody. The monitor settings show the warning "No team default path yet".

Add an email channel first:

1. In the sidebar, select **Alerting**.
2. Under **Channels**, select **New channel**.
3. Select **Email**.
4. In **Name**, enter a name, for example `My email`.
5. In **Email address**, enter the address that must get the alerts.
6. Select **Create channel**.
7. On the new channel, select **Send test**.

Spectate sends a test email to the address. If it does not arrive, look in your spam folder.

Then add an escalation path and make it the team default:

1. On the **Alerting** page, select **New path**.
2. In **Name**, enter a name, for example `Default`.
3. Keep **Enabled** selected.
4. Select **Use as team default**.
5. Select **Create and open builder**.

The builder opens with one step. This step sends each alert to your email channel at once. Alerts from monitors without their own escalation paths now follow this path.

When a check fails, Spectate checks the target again about 5 seconds later. If that check also fails, the monitor is down. Spectate then fires a critical alert, and the escalation path sends you an email. When a later check succeeds, Spectate resolves the alert and sends a resolved email.

### Test the alert

To see a real alert, make the monitor fail on purpose:

1. Open the monitor.
2. Select the **Settings** tab.
3. Under **Availability**, set **Expected status** to `500`.
4. Select **Save changes**.

At the next check, the website answers with a status code that is not `500`. Spectate confirms the failure and sends the alert email. Then clear **Expected status** and select **Save changes** again. Without a value, every status code from 200 to 399 counts as up.

## Create a status page

A [status page](/status-pages/introduction) shows your customers which parts of your service work.

1. In the sidebar, select **Status pages**.
2. Select **Create status page**.
3. In **Name**, enter the name your customers know, for example `Acme`.
4. Check the **Slug**. The slug is part of the public URL, `https://SLUG.spectate.page`.
5. Under **Visibility**, keep **Public**.
6. Select **Create status page**.

The dashboard opens the new status page. Now add the monitor as a [component](/status-pages/components):

1. Select the **Components** tab.
2. Select **Add component**.
3. In **Name**, enter the name that visitors see, for example `Website`.
4. In **Linked monitor**, select your HTTPS monitor.
5. Select **Create component**.

Open `https://SLUG.spectate.page` to see the page. The component shows the uptime of the linked monitor.

A linked monitor does not change the component status on its own. The status comes from status page incidents and maintenance. To let the monitor open and resolve a public incident, go to the **Settings** tab of the status page. Under **Automation**, select **Open and resolve incidents from linked monitors**.

## Related

- [Concepts](/concepts): how monitors, alerts, escalation paths, incidents and status pages work together.
- [HTTP and HTTPS monitors](/monitors/http): status codes, keywords, headers and authentication.
- [Locations and checks](/monitors/locations-and-checks): regions, rechecks and the IP addresses of the checkers.