---
title: "HTTP/S Test"
slug: "https-scout"
updated: 2026-02-23T19:15:34Z
published: 2026-02-23T19:15:34Z
canonical: "support.controlup.com/https-scout"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.controlup.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# HTTP/S Scout

:::(Info) (ControlUp Academy training video)
[Click here](https://cuacademy.controlup.com/https-scout/){target=`_blank`} to watch our Academy training video about the HTTP/S Scout.
:::
The HTTP/S Scout checks multiple parameters related to website and web services connectivity. You can use the Scout for the following:
* Check the responsiveness of a website and the phases of the connection.
* Validate SSL certificates, including expiration, duration, and the certificate chain.
* Test web services APIs using GET and POST methods, with custom headers and request bodies.
* Check your proxy's health by sending traffic through a custom proxy server.

## Create an HTTP/S Scout:

1. In the Synthetic Monitoring top bar, click **Create Scout** to open the **Add New Scout** window.
2. From the **Infrastructure** tab, select **HTTP/S** as the Scout **Type**.
3. Select the locations (**Hives**) from which you want to initiate the HTTP/S test.
4. Select whether you want the Scout to send a GET or POST request.
5. Enter the **Address** of the website or API endpoint that you want to send the request to.
6. Enter a **Name** for the Scout.
7. Select a run interval for the test using the **Run Every** slider. For the first 10 minutes of the run, you can choose intervals of 1 to 10 minutes. After that, you can choose increments of 5 minutes up to 60 minutes (5, 10, 15, 20, and so on).
8. Optionally, add **Tags** to your Scout. Tags are key-value pairs which can be used to organize your Scouts. To learn more about tags, visit [Centralized Tags Management](/v1/docs/centralized-tags-management).
9. Optionally, click on **Show additional parameters** to configure the following:
    * **SSL Verify**. Sets whether the Scout checks for a trusted SSL certificate. If you select **Yes** and the certificate isn't trusted, then the test fails. If the Scout is running from a Custom Hive, then the Scout can also accept self-signed certificates that are added to the machine where the Custom Hive is installed.
    * **Timeout**. Sets the maximum wait time for the test to finish.
    * **Look for a string in the response**. Sets a string that the Scout will search for in the response. If the string isn't found, then the test fails.
    * **Max Redirects**. Sets the maximum number of redirects to follow before the test fails.
    * **Success Codes**. Sets which HTTP codes the Scout considers a successful response. 
    * **Authentication**. Sets the authentication method for the HTTP request. If you edit the Scout to run from a new location (for example, an additional Custom Hive), then you must re-enter the password.
    * **Custom Headers**. Sets custom headers (**Key** and **Value**) to send during the test. You can add multiple headers.
    * **Request Body**. If you are sending a POST request, you can enter a request body to send in the request.
    * **Proxy**. If the Scout is running from a Custom Hive, select whether to send the request directly to the website, or through a proxy server. **None** sends the request directly to the server. **Inherit from Hive** uses the proxy server data configured in the Custom Hive. **Custom** lets you configure a proxy server for the Scout. 
    * **Check Network Path Performance**. Sets whether to check the network path to the destination. If enabled, you can set the network **Timeout**, and the minimum and maximum time to live (TTL). The test fails if the network path is not within your set parameters.

10. Click **Next: Alert Policy** to set up alerts and notifications on the Scout before saving it. For more information, see [Alert Policies](/tim-reorg/docs/alert-policies).

## Test Results
Click on a test result to see the full details of the HTTP/S test. In this example, you can see the type of information that is returned for an HTTP/S test to https://controlup.com.

You can see a summary of the Scout configuration, along with some request and response durations:
![https Test details](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/https%20Test%20details.png){height="" width=""}

The Scout also shows more detailed information about the request and response:
![Detailed information](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/Detailed%20information.png){height="" width=""}

If you enabled **Check Network Path Performance** when creating the Scout, you can also see the network path with details for each hop.
![Test hops](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/Test%20hops.png){height="" width=""}