What is a key feature of Synthetic monitoring?

The key feature of synthetic monitoring is that it involves simulated interactions for playback. This method allows organizations to proactively test and monitor their applications by simulating user behavior and interactions with the system. By setting up scripted interactions, synthetic monitoring can validate that critical paths within an application are functioning as expected and can identify issues before real users experience them. This is particularly useful for detecting performance issues, downtime, or errors during off-peak hours or before a major release.

This approach contrasts with real user monitoring, which focuses on the actual interactions of users in real-time. While other options describe related aspects of application monitoring, they either do not capture the essence of the synthetic monitoring approach or are not specific to it. For instance, server-side monitoring is important but does not encompass the proactive, user-simulation aspect that synthetic monitoring brings to the table. Therefore, simulated interactions for playback effectively highlight the primary function of synthetic monitoring, enabling continuous performance assessment under various conditions.