A quick guide to configuring your Uptime Kuma tool. This legacy walk-through covers the basics of admin account setup, the main dashboard, adding your first monitor and editing settings — essential reading if you’re new to the panel.
Step 1 — Creating the admin account • Step 2 — The main dashboard • Step 3 — Adding a new monitor • Step 4 — Viewing statistics and editing settings • Advanced options overview • FAQ
To start using your Uptime Kuma instance navigate to the address provided during the order process (your-address.uptimekuma.io). On first visit, you are asked to create an admin account. Provide your admin username and password and click Create.
If you did not provide your address in the notes field when placing your order, please do so by creating a ticket in our help system via the Customer Dashboard. When you revisit the site, you can sign in with the credentials you set.
Once your admin account is created and you have signed in, you see the main dashboard of Uptime Kuma. This is where you find the status of all monitored services with quick stats and an event log. Since no monitor has been added yet, the dashboard is empty.
Click the Add New Monitor button in the left top corner of the dashboard. A form appears where you provide details of the service you want to monitor.
The first part of the form. Fill in the basic information and monitoring parameters:
https://yourdomain.co.uk.Advanced monitoring parameters including: certificate expiry notification, ignore TLS/SSL error for HTTPS websites, max redirects allowed before the site is considered down, accepted status codes. You can also assign a monitor group or add a description here.
Configure the way you receive notifications when the service is down. Select the desired notification channel (email, Slack, Telegram, webhook, etc.) and provide the required details to activate it.
Configure advanced options such as proxy, HTTP options or authentication here. Once you are happy with the settings, click Save. The service is added and appears on the main dashboard.
Once a service is properly configured, statistics start appearing. Click the service name on the left panel to display them. In addition to viewing statistics, you can edit the service settings on this page, pause monitoring, clone the service or delete it entirely.
Key elements on the service detail page:
Beyond the initial setup, Uptime Kuma offers several areas to customise:
Each of these areas has a dedicated article in this knowledge base.
Managed Uptime Kuma on UK infrastructure
SmartXHosting Uptime Kuma Hosting — unlimited monitors, daily backups, free SSL and a dedicated uptimekuma.io subdomain from £1/month.
View Uptime Kuma HostingQ: I can’t sign in to my Uptime Kuma for the first time.
A: The URL was sent in your activation email. If you provided no custom address during order, contact SmartXHosting support via the Customer Dashboard.
Q: What password policy should I use?
A: 14+ characters, random, stored in a password manager. Enable 2FA immediately after first sign-in under Settings › Security.
Q: Can I delete a monitor?
A: Yes — open the monitor detail page and click Delete. Deletion is permanent; all history is removed.
Q: Can I pause monitoring temporarily?
A: Yes. Click Pause on the monitor. Heartbeats stop; when paused duration falls within a maintenance window, uptime statistics aren’t affected.
Q: How many monitors can I run?
A: On SmartXHosting plans: unlimited. Performance is fine up to 500–1000 monitors on standard plans.
Q: What’s the difference between this legacy guide and the newer articles?
A: This article covers the original, universal workflow. Newer articles dive deeper into specific monitor types (HTTP, TCP, DNS, Push) and advanced features. Start here, then move to the dedicated guides.