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Get started with Checkly constructs by building your first monitoring setup using the CLI.
  • Node.js 18+ installed
  • A Checkly account
Use this guide to manually set up your Checkly configuration. Follow the quickstart guide and npm create checkly for an automatic setup.

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Installation

Create a new directory and initialize your monitoring project:
Terminal
mkdir my-monitoring-project
cd my-monitoring-project
npm init -y
Install the Checkly CLI.
Terminal
npm install --save-dev checkly
Recommended: Install jiti to use TypeScript for your Checkly monitoring setup.
Terminal
npm i --save-dev jiti

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Project Setup

Create a checkly.config file with basic settings:
checkly.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from "checkly"
import { Frequency } from "checkly/constructs"

export default defineConfig({
  projectName: "Website Monitoring",
  logicalId: "website-monitoring-1",
  repoUrl: "https://github.com/you/your-project",
  checks: {
    activated: true,
    muted: false,
    runtimeId: "2025.04",
    frequency: Frequency.EVERY_5M,
    locations: ["us-east-1", "eu-west-1"],
    tags: ["website", "api"],
    checkMatch: "**/*.check.ts",
    browserChecks: {
      frequency: Frequency.EVERY_10M,
      testMatch: "browsers/**/*.spec.ts",
    },
    multiStepChecks: {
      testMatch: "multistep/**/*.spec.ts",
    },
  },
  cli: {
    runLocation: "eu-west-1",
  },
})
Learn more about the general Checkly settings at Project and Configuration.

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Your First Checkly CLI Construct

Create a monitoring setup using monitoring as code constructs. First, create the directory structure:
Terminal
mkdir -p src/__checks__
Create src/__checks__/website-monitoring.check.ts:
src/__checks__/website-monitoring.check.ts
import {
  BrowserCheck,
  Frequency
} from 'checkly/constructs'

// Create a browser check running a Playwright Test script
new BrowserCheck("homepage-check", {
  name: "Homepage Test",
  frequency: Frequency.EVERY_5M,
  locations: ["us-east-1", "eu-west-1"],
  code: {
    entrypoint: "./homepage.spec.ts"
  }
})
Create the browser test file src/__checks__/homepage.spec.ts:
src/__checks__/homepage.spec.ts
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test'

test('Homepage loads successfully', async ({ page }) => {
  // Navigate to your website
  await page.goto('https://your-website.com')

  // Check the page title
  await expect(page).toHaveTitle(/Your Site Name/)

  // Verify main navigation is visible
  const navigation = page.locator('nav')
  await expect(navigation).toBeVisible()

  // Check for key content
  const mainContent = page.getByRole('main')
  await expect(mainContent).toBeVisible()
})
If you’re unfamiliar with Playwright Test, learn more about Microsoft’s end-to-end testing framework in the /learn section.

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Testing Your Setup

Test your configuration locally before deployment:
Terminal
npx checkly test
This test command will run your browser check in the Checkly infrastructure. Use this flow to test your monitoring configuration and validate preview environments.

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Deployment

Deploy your monitoring to Checkly:
Terminal
npx checkly deploy
The deploy command turns your browser check into a synthetic monitor checking your website every 5 minutes from multiple locations.

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Next Steps

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Learn More