FeedHorn - URL & Network Monitoring Dashboard

A comprehensive monitoring application for tracking website performance, network speed, and SSL certificate expiration. Built with ASP.NET Core for Windows IIS deployment.

Features

URL Monitoring

• HTTP & Ping Checks: Monitor websites via HTTP/HTTPS or ICMP ping
• Automatic Monitoring: Background service checks URLs every 5 minutes
• Response Time Graphs: Interactive charts with multiple time ranges (1d, 3d, 5d, 14d, 30d)
• Smart Alerting: URLs responding slower than average are automatically highlighted
• Data Retention: 60-day historical data with automatic cleanup

Internet Speed Testing

• Ookla Integration: Powered by official Speedtest CLI
• Hourly Testing: Automatic speed tests every hour
• Manual Triggers: Run tests on-demand
• Comprehensive Metrics: Download, upload, ping, and jitter tracking
• Historical Charts: Visualize speed trends over time

SSL Certificate Monitoring

• Certificate Tracking: Monitor SSL certificate expiration dates
• Daily Checks: Automatic certificate validation every 24 hours
• Expiration Alerts: Visual warnings for certificates expiring within 30 days
• Certificate Details: View issuer, validity dates, and subject information
• Manual Refresh: Check certificates on-demand
• Horizontal Layout: Clean, card-based display with at-a-glance status

UI/UX Features

• Dark Mode: Toggle between light and dark themes (persists in localStorage)
• Print-Friendly: Optimized layouts for printing reports across all tabs
• Graph Customization: Toggle data points on/off globally
• External Tools: 23+ diagnostic tools across 9 categories:
  • Security & SSL (SSL Labs, Qualys, DNSSEC Debugger, Sucuri)
  • DNS & Domain (DNSChecker, MXToolbox, WhatsMyDNS, WHOIS)
  • HTTP & API Diagnostics (HTTPStatus.io, Hoppscotch, RequestBin)
  • Network & Latency (Traceroute.org, Fast.com, Cloudflare Radar)
  • Website Analytics & SEO (PageSpeed Insights, BuiltWith)
  • Infrastructure Monitoring (UptimeRobot, HetrixTools, Better Stack)
  • Developer Utilities (JSONLint, RegEx101, JWT.io, Crontab Guru)
• Responsive Design: Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile

Quick Start

Development

1. Clone and restore:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd FeedHorn
   dotnet restore

2. Run the application:

   dotnet run

3. Open your browser: Navigate to http://localhost:5000 or https://localhost:5001

Production Deployment

For detailed deployment instructions, see docs/FRESH_INSTALL.md

Quick deploy using provided scripts:

# Fresh installation
.\scripts\install-new-server.ps1

# In-place update (preserves database)
.\scripts\deploy-inplace.ps1

Prerequisites

• .NET 8.0 SDK or Runtime
• Windows Server with IIS (for production)
• Ookla Speedtest CLI (optional, for speed test feature)
• SQLite3 (for database management)

Project Structure

FeedHorn/
├── Controllers/
│   ├── MonitoredUrlsController.cs      # URL monitoring API
│   ├── SpeedTestController.cs          # Speed test API
│   └── SslCertificateController.cs     # SSL certificate API
├── Data/
│   └── FeedHornContext.cs              # Entity Framework DbContext
├── Middleware/
│   └── FooterInjectionMiddleware.cs    # Server-side footer injection
├── Models/
│   ├── MonitoredUrl.cs                 # URL entity
│   ├── UrlCheck.cs                     # Check result entity
│   ├── SpeedTest.cs                    # Speed test entity
│   └── SslCertificate.cs               # SSL certificate entity
├── Services/
│   ├── UrlMonitoringService.cs         # URL monitoring background service
│   ├── SpeedTestService.cs             # Speed test background service
│   └── SslMonitoringService.cs         # SSL monitoring background service
├── wwwroot/
│   ├── index.html                      # Main UI with 23+ external tool links
│   ├── styles.css                      # Styling (light/dark mode, print)
│   ├── app.js                          # Frontend logic
│   ├── logo.svg                        # FeedHorn logo
│   └── favicon.svg                     # Favicon
├── docs/
│   ├── FRESH_INSTALL.md                # Fresh installation guide
│   ├── DEPLOYMENT.md                   # Deployment documentation
│   └── PING_UPDATE.md                  # Ping feature notes
├── scripts/
│   ├── install-new-server.ps1          # Fresh install script
│   ├── deploy-inplace.ps1              # Update script
│   ├── deploy.ps1                      # Legacy deployment
│   └── fix-feedhorn.ps1                # Troubleshooting script
├── add-speedtest-table.sql             # SQL migration for speed tests
├── add-sslcertificates-table.sql       # SQL migration for SSL certs
├── Program.cs                           # Application entry point
├── web.config                           # IIS configuration
└── FeedHorn.csproj                     # Project file

Database Schema

FeedHorn uses SQLite with the following tables:

• MonitoredUrls: URLs being monitored
• UrlChecks: Historical check results
• SpeedTests: Internet speed test results
• SslCertificates: SSL certificate tracking

Adding Tables to Existing Database

If you're upgrading from a previous version:

# Add Speed Test table
Get-Content add-speedtest-table.sql | sqlite3 feedhorn.db

# Add SSL Certificate table
Get-Content add-sslcertificates-table.sql | sqlite3 feedhorn.db

API Endpoints

URL Monitoring

• GET /api/monitoredurls - Get all monitored URLs
• GET /api/monitoredurls/{id} - Get specific URL
• POST /api/monitoredurls - Add new URL
• PUT /api/monitoredurls/{id} - Update URL
• DELETE /api/monitoredurls/{id} - Delete URL

Speed Tests

• GET /api/speedtest - Get all speed test results
• GET /api/speedtest/{id} - Get specific test
• POST /api/speedtest/run - Run test now

SSL Certificates

• GET /api/sslcertificate - Get all certificates
• GET /api/sslcertificate/{id} - Get specific certificate
• POST /api/sslcertificate - Add new certificate
• PUT /api/sslcertificate/{id} - Update certificate
• DELETE /api/sslcertificate/{id} - Delete certificate
• POST /api/sslcertificate/{id}/check - Check certificate now

Background Services

FeedHorn runs three background services:

1. UrlMonitoringService: Checks URLs every 5 minutes
2. SpeedTestService: Runs speed tests every hour (at :00)
3. SslMonitoringService: Validates SSL certificates daily

Services run continuously via IIS AlwaysRunning application pool mode.

Configuration

Change Monitoring Intervals

Edit the respective service file:

// UrlMonitoringService.cs - Default: 5 minutes
await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5), stoppingToken);

// SpeedTestService.cs - Default: 1 hour (on the hour)
var delay = nextHour - now;
await Task.Delay(delay, stoppingToken);

// SslMonitoringService.cs - Default: 24 hours
await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromHours(24), stoppingToken);

Change Data Retention

Default retention periods:

• URL checks: 60 days
• Speed tests: 60 days
• SSL certificates: Kept indefinitely (manual cleanup required)

Edit the cleanup logic in respective services to adjust retention.

External Tools Integration

The Tools tab provides quick access to 23+ popular diagnostic and monitoring tools across 9 categories:

Security & SSL Tools

• SSL Labs - Comprehensive SSL/TLS testing
• Qualys SSL Server Test - SSL configuration analysis
• DNSSEC Debugger - DNS security validation
• Sucuri SiteCheck - Website security scanner

DNS & Domain Tools

• DNSChecker - Global DNS propagation checker
• MXToolbox - Email, DNS, and network diagnostics
• WhatsMyDNS - DNS propagation worldwide
• WHOIS Lookup - Domain registration information

HTTP & API Diagnostics

• HTTPStatus.io - HTTP response testing
• Hoppscotch - API development platform
• RequestBin - Webhook and HTTP request inspection

Network & Latency Tools

• Traceroute.org - Network path analysis
• Fast.com - Netflix speed test
• Cloudflare Radar - Internet traffic insights

Website Analytics & SEO

• PageSpeed Insights - Google performance analysis
• BuiltWith - Technology profiler

Infrastructure Monitoring

• UptimeRobot - Website uptime monitoring
• HetrixTools - Server monitoring
• Better Stack - Modern monitoring platform

Developer Utilities

• JSONLint - JSON validator
• RegEx101 - Regular expression tester
• JWT.io - JSON Web Token debugger
• Crontab Guru - Cron schedule expressions

All tools open in new tabs for convenient side-by-side comparison with FeedHorn monitoring data.

Troubleshooting

Speed Test Not Working

1. Verify speedtest.exe is in tools/ folder
2. Check IIS application pool has execute permissions
3. Review logs in IIS or Windows Event Viewer
4. Run manual test via API: POST /api/speedtest/run

SSL Certificate Errors

• Ensure URLs start with https://
• Check server can reach destination (firewall rules)
• Verify .NET can validate SSL certificates (certificate store issues)

Database Issues

If database is corrupted:

# Backup existing
Move-Item feedhorn.db feedhorn.db.bak

# Restart application - new DB will be created
# Then run migration scripts

Background Services Not Running

1. Verify IIS Application Pool settings:
   • Start Mode: AlwaysRunning
   • Idle Timeout: 0 (disabled)
2. Check web.config has hostingModel="inprocess"
3. Review Windows Event Viewer for errors

For more troubleshooting, see docs/DEPLOYMENT.md

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Credits

• Built with ASP.NET Core 8.0
• Charts powered by Chart.js
• Icons from Heroicons
• Speed tests via Ookla Speedtest CLI