Datadog · Synthetic Monitoring
Datadog Synthetic Monitoring set-up, with test locations inside your network
Datadog Synthetic Monitoring runs scripted checks on a schedule (API calls, multistep API flows, browser journeys, mobile app flows and network path tests) and alerts you when one fails, often before customers notice. Tests run from Datadog's managed locations on the internet or from private locations that you host yourself, for example in a data centre in Riyadh. Interkey, an official Datadog partner, sets up Synthetic Monitoring for organisations in Saudi Arabia: which journeys to test, where the tests run, and which failures should page someone.
Published 6 min read
In short
- What it is: scheduled, scripted tests of your APIs, websites, mobile apps and network paths, run by Datadog.
- Where tests run: Datadog managed locations, or a private location: a worker you run inside your own network.
- What a private location needs: a container or a Windows install with outbound HTTPS on port 443. No inbound connection is opened.
- Where results go: to your Datadog account. As of November 2026, Datadog lists no data-centre site in the Middle East.
- How it is billed: per 10,000 API test runs and per 1,000 browser test runs.
- What Interkey does: journey selection, test build, location set-up, alert routing, and operation from Riyadh.
What Datadog Synthetic Monitoring can test
| Test type | What it checks | Typical use for a Saudi service |
|---|---|---|
| API test | One request over HTTP, SSL, DNS, WebSocket, TCP, UDP, ICMP or gRPC, with assertions on the response | Is the public API up, is the certificate about to expire, does DNS resolve |
| Multistep API test | A chain of requests that pass values from one step to the next | Log in, get a token, call the account endpoint |
| Browser test | A journey recorded in Google Chrome and replayed in Chrome, Firefox or Edge at laptop, tablet or mobile size | Open the portal, sign in, start a payment, reach the confirmation page |
| Mobile application test | Flows in your iOS or Android app | The app's sign-in and main transaction |
| Network path test | The route and hops between a test location and an endpoint | Where latency or packet loss starts on the path to your service |
Tests can run as often as every minute or as rarely as once a week. The same tests can also run in your CI/CD pipeline before a release goes live.
Managed locations or a private location inside the Kingdom
Datadog runs the managed locations. A private location is a small worker that you run on your own infrastructure. It pulls test definitions from Datadog, runs them, and sends the results back.
| Question | Managed location | Private location |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Datadog | Your team, or Interkey on your behalf |
| What it can reach | Anything public on the internet | Internal applications and private endpoints, as well as public ones |
| Where tests start | Datadog's chosen cities. Check Datadog's current list for one near your users | Wherever you install the worker, for example a Riyadh data centre or a branch network |
| Network | No change on your side | Outbound HTTPS on port 443 only. A proxy is supported |
| How it is installed | Nothing to install | Docker, Docker Compose, Podman, Kubernetes with Helm, Amazon ECS or EKS, Fargate, or Windows |
| Test types | All | API, multistep API and browser tests |
Two points matter for Saudi teams. First, the secrets a private location uses stay on your side: Datadog states that it does not store them. Second, the test runs inside the Kingdom, but its results land in your Datadog account. As of November 2026, Datadog lists no site in the Middle East, so keep personal data out of test steps and screenshots. Our Datadog data residency guide covers what reaches Datadog and where it is stored.
Most Saudi set-ups use both. Managed locations show what an outside customer experiences. A private location in your network tests internal systems and runs journeys from inside the Kingdom.
Which journeys to test first
Start with the few journeys that cost the most when they break, not with every page. This is the order we usually suggest:
- Sign-in. If customers cannot log in, nothing else matters.
- The main transaction. A payment, an application, a booking or an order, up to the confirmation step. Use a test account and test data.
- Public and partner APIs. The endpoints that other organisations call, including certificate expiry.
- Internal systems staff depend on, tested from a private location.
- Third-party dependencies that your journey calls, so you can tell their outage from yours.
Logins protected by one-time passwords
Many Saudi services ask for a one-time password at sign-in. Datadog documents time-based one-time passwords (TOTP) for browser tests. You store the secret key or QR code in a global variable of the MFA token type, and the test generates the code at run time. Datadog's guide does not cover passwords sent by SMS. For those journeys, the usual choices are a test account that uses an authenticator app, or a test that checks every step up to the code prompt. Agree which one with your security team before the test is built.
Alerts worth waking someone for
A synthetic test that alerts on every slow run will soon be ignored. Datadog lets you alert only when a test fails for a set number of minutes, from a set number of locations, after retries. We usually set:
- Paging alerts for sign-in and the main transaction, when they fail from more than one location.
- Ticket-only alerts for slower journeys, certificate warnings and single-location failures.
- Masked variables for passwords and tokens, so they are hidden in test results.
Each alert goes to the team that owns the journey, through the channel they already use.
How Synthetic Monitoring is billed
Datadog bills Synthetic Monitoring by test runs: per 10,000 API test runs and per 1,000 browser test runs. A browser test that runs every minute from three locations makes about 130,000 runs in a 30-day month. Frequency and the number of locations drive the bill more than the number of tests does. Your Datadog quote sets the price.
How Interkey sets it up
-
Journey inventory.
We list the journeys, APIs and dependencies, and agree an owner for each.
-
Location plan.
We choose the managed locations, and decide whether a private location is needed and where it will run.
-
Test build.
We build the tests with test accounts, masked variables and clear assertions, and handle the one-time password approach.
-
Alert routing.
We set paging and ticket-only rules, and send alerts to the teams and channels you already use.
-
Operation.
We review noisy tests and run frequency against the bill. Then we either operate the set-up from Riyadh or hand it to your team with documentation.
Interkey assesses, implements and operates Datadog for organisations in Saudi Arabia. The implementation team is in Riyadh and works in Arabic and English. Read about Interkey's Datadog implementation.
Synthetic tests and real user monitoring
Synthetic tests tell you whether a scripted journey works right now, even at 3 a.m. when no customer is online. Real user monitoring (RUM) records what actual users experience across devices and networks. Most teams need both, and start with synthetic tests on the journeys above. See Datadog real user monitoring set-up.
Questions teams ask
Does Datadog have a test location in Saudi Arabia?
Check Datadog's current list of managed locations. To run tests from inside the Kingdom, install a private location on your own infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
Can synthetic tests reach systems that are not on the internet?
Yes, from a private location inside your network. It needs outbound HTTPS on port 443 and no inbound access.
Can a browser test pass an SMS one-time password?
Datadog's guide covers time-based one-time passwords, not SMS. Use a test account with an authenticator app, or test up to the code prompt.
How much will it cost?
Datadog bills per 10,000 API test runs and per 1,000 browser test runs, so cost depends on test frequency and the number of locations. Datadog's quote sets the price, and we size the run volume with you.
Does Interkey set up Synthetic Monitoring if we already use Datadog?
Yes. We can add Synthetic Monitoring to an existing Datadog account, or include it in a wider rollout.
Next
Related pages
Next step
Request a synthetic monitoring plan
Tell us which journeys and APIs matter most, whether any of them are internal, and how users sign in. We will reply with a proposed test list, a location plan and an estimate of monthly test runs.
Or directly
+966-11-2180999 [email protected]Tawuniya Towers, North Tower, 7th Floor, King Fahad Highway, Olaya, P.O. Box 56835, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia