Sigabrt.dev – cronjob monitor with an SSH TUI

Hello HN. I built this mostly to monitor the things I host myself. I know it's nothing too exciting.Anyway, the TL;DR is: Create an endpoint, and if your script/cronjob fails to regularly ping it, you get notified (by email or ntfy). E.g.: 0 * * * * ./script.sh && curl -fsS https://sigabrt.dev/pulse/<id>/beat It also has an SSH TUI which is currently experimental and read-only, mostly because I'm not sure whether it is actually useful or just a gimmick :): ssh sigabrt.dev To use it, simply add your SSH public key in your account settings.Yes, there are services like this already, and this is minimalistic by comparison. Feedback is welcome.

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FL score

58

out of 100

Verdict

SKIP

medium confidence

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A minimalist cronjob monitoring service with SSH terminal access, built for self-hosters in a market already served by Healthchecks.io, Cronitor, and free alternatives.

The pain

Self-hosted cronjob failures go unnoticed until they cause real damage. Developers running their own infrastructure need simple, reliable alerts when scheduled tasks stop executing.

The gap

Healthchecks.io and Cronitor dominate this space. Sigabrt.dev is simpler and cheaper but offers no compelling reason to switch. The SSH TUI is novel but unproven as useful.

Build angle

One person can build and maintain this. The core logic is straightforward. The SSH TUI adds complexity without clear user demand. Hosting costs are low for a niche audience.

Strengths

  • Solves a real problem that the founder experiences
  • Simple to integrate into existing cronjob workflows
  • Low operational overhead and hosting costs
  • SSH TUI is a creative differentiator, even if unproven
  • Founder is transparent about limitations and uncertainty

Risks

  • Market is already saturated with established competitors offering similar or better features
  • No clear monetization strategy or evidence users will pay when free alternatives exist
  • Founder explicitly states this was built for personal use, not as a business
  • SSH TUI is experimental and the founder questions its utility, suggesting feature bloat
  • Self-hosted cronjob monitoring is a shrinking TAM as more teams move to managed services
  • No distribution plan or go-to-market strategy mentioned
  • Switching costs are low but so is willingness to switch from free tools

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