Build a Reliable Alerting System Without Code
Keep your website online and respond instantly to issues. This guide shows you how to build an automatic website uptime monitoring and alerting workflow using n8n, leveraging AI for smarter notifications.
Getting Started with n8n for Website Monitoring
n8n is a free, open-source no-code/low-code automation tool that connects apps and services through visual workflows. Each workflow contains nodes that perform actions like triggers or data processing. Use it to monitor website uptime without writing code.
- Prerequisites: Docker installed, basic terminal access. n8n runs locally via Docker.
- Run n8n:
docker run -it --rm --name n8n -p 5678:5678 -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n n8nio/n8nOpen http://localhost:5678.
- Create workflow: Click New → Add Schedule Trigger node (set to every 5 minutes).
- Add HTTP Request node: Connect to trigger, set Method=GET, URL=https://example.com. No credentials needed for public sites.
- Save and activate workflow with Execute Workflow.
- Verify: Check Executions tab for green success or red errors. Test with down site.
- Common issues: Port 5678 busy? Kill process:
docker stop n8n. Docker not installed? Usecurl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh.
Enhancing Alerts with AI and Open-Source APIs
Assumptions: Basic n8n uptime monitoring workflow from previous chapter. n8n instance running.
- Add AI Agent node after uptime check: Connect to OpenRouter API (free tier available). Set prompt:
'Website {{ $json.url }} is {{ $json.status }}. Analyze severity and suggest action.' - Configure OpenRouter: Add HTTP Request node first. POST to
https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions. Headers:Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY,Content-Type: application/json. Body:{ "model": "openai/gpt-3.5-turbo", "messages": [{ "role": "user", "content": "{{ $json.prompt }}" }] } - Add Email node: From: your@email.com, To: alert@team.com, Subject:
Alert: {{ $json.url }} - {{ $json.severity }}. Body: {{ $json.analysis }} - Add Webhook node for Slack/Discord: POST to your webhook URL, Body:
{ "text": "{{ $json.analysis }}" }
Verification: Execute workflow. Check executions tab for AI output, sent emails, webhook calls.
Common failures:
- API key invalid: Check OpenRouter dashboard.
- Email not sending: Verify SMTP credentials in node.
- Webhook 403: Confirm URL and auth headers.
Benefits: AI reduces noise, prioritizes real issues, cuts fatigue. ~140 words.