Cargo has no public status page.
Platform incidents reach clients before you.
Cargo manages SSL and CDN delivery for custom domains transparently — which means agencies have no direct visibility into what breaks and when. A Cargo platform incident or a client DNS change that breaks the CNAME delegation surfaces only when a client notices the portfolio failing. Design agencies get the call, not the alert.
No credit card either way — start free, or trial the full workspace.
- Check cadence (Agency)
- 1 min
- SSL pre-expiry alert
- 30 days
- Vendors watched
- 11
- Encrypted DNS lookups
- DoH
Where Cargo agencies get caught out
Three failure modes specific to Cargo creative portfolios.
Cargo handles most of the technical configuration for design agencies — but that abstraction creates infrastructure blind spots. The failures that surface are real: expired domains, broken CNAME configurations, and platform incidents that hit multiple client portfolios simultaneously.
Platform status opacity
No public status page means Cargo incidents reach clients first
Cargo does not maintain a public status page with real-time incident reporting. When Cargo's CDN degrades or a platform incident affects delivery of portfolio sites, design agencies have no upstream signal. Each client's portfolio looks like an isolated failure until enough clients call to suggest a pattern. External monitoring provides the upstream context that Cargo's platform doesn't.
CNAME drift after registrar transfer
Custom domain CNAME to Cargo CDN breaks silently during transfers
Cargo custom domains use a CNAME record pointing to its CDN infrastructure. When clients transfer their domain to a new registrar — typically for cost savings or to consolidate domains — the CNAME records need to be manually recreated in the new DNS provider. This step is frequently missed. The portfolio site continues loading from cache while the underlying DNS is broken, then fails completely once the TTL expires.
Domain expiry on client-controlled registrars
Client domains expire without the agency knowing
Design agencies often build portfolios on client-owned domains where the registrar account and renewal are controlled by the client's IT team or billing contact. Domain expiry registrar notices go to those contacts, not the agency. When a domain expires, the Cargo site disappears completely — and the first notification the agency receives is the client call.
How it works
Set up once per client. Watch every Cargo portfolio from there.
Merlonix is designed for creative agencies managing client portfolios across different platforms — one account covering every domain with a single alert flow that only fires when something needs attention.
01
Add Cargo client portfolio domains
Verify ownership with a DNS TXT record — works for any custom domain connected to a Cargo portfolio. One verification per domain establishes the monitoring baseline. Takes under two minutes per client.
02
SSL chain and certificate expiry monitored continuously
Merlonix validates the full certificate chain on every check interval — expiry date, issuer, chain completeness, and domain match. A 30-day expiry alert fires with enough runway to resolve Cargo custom domain issues before the browser warning reaches the client's audience.
03
CNAME integrity and domain expiry tracked
A DNS-over-HTTPS resolver verifies the expected CNAME to the Cargo CDN on every check interval. When a client DNS migration breaks the delegation, the alert fires within minutes. Domain expiry is tracked separately — a 30-day alert fires before a client-controlled domain lapses.
04
Cargo platform status alongside per-domain alerts
Cargo platform status is monitored and surfaced in your alert feed separately from per-portfolio alerts. When a Cargo infrastructure incident is responsible for multiple portfolios failing, you identify the upstream cause immediately — rather than diagnosing each portfolio independently.
What the numbers mean for Cargo agencies
Monitoring that covers the Cargo-specific failure surface.
Creative agencies managing Cargo portfolios focus on design quality, not infrastructure monitoring. You shouldn't have to watch for platform incidents or DNS drift manually. Merlonix is built around that constraint — minimal setup per client, maximum signal per alert.
30 days
SSL and domain expiry warning lead time — enough runway to resolve Cargo CNAME issues or prompt clients to renew their domain before it lapses
< 10 min
Time from DNS change to alert — catches CNAME drift after registrar transfers before the Cargo CDN loses the delegation completely
11 vendors
Upstream services monitored — including creative portfolio platform status for agencies managing client portfolios
250 assets
Maximum monitored domains on the Agency plan — enough for a full Cargo creative agency client roster
Pricing
Flat monthly fee. Every client portfolio domain included.
No per-domain charges. No per-alert fees. Pick the tier that fits your client count and grow without billing surprises.
Starter
For independent designers watching a handful of Cargo portfolio clients.
$19/ month
- 15 monitored assets
- 3 seats
- 5 min check cadence
- SSL + DNS + vendor monitoring
- Email + Slack alerts
Team
For creative studios managing multiple Cargo client portfolios.
$79/ month
- 60 monitored assets
- 10 seats
- 1 min check cadence
- SSL + DNS + vendor monitoring
- Email + Slack alerts
Agency
For agencies with a full roster of Cargo creative portfolio clients.
$199/ month
- 250 monitored assets
- Unlimited seats
- 1 min check cadence
- SSL + DNS + vendor monitoring
- Email + Slack alerts
Compliance
For regulated-vertical teams that need continuous, audit-ready evidence.
$699/ month
- 500 monitored assets
- Unlimited seats
- 1 min check cadence
- SSL + DNS + vendor monitoring
- Email + Slack alerts
Beyond uptime
More than a 200 OK on every client site
The same account also watches the infrastructure and reputation layers a standard uptime check never reaches — each a live check you can turn on.
Turn monitoring into revenue
Resell client-ready reports as your own
Monitoring doesn’t have to be a cost line. Package the branded report and white-label status page as a deliverable in your retainer — the tooling underneath stays invisible, so to the client the work is yours.
Reports under your brand
Hand each client a polished SSL, DNS, and security report carrying your agency’s name and logo — not ours.
Status pages on their domain
Publish a live status page at status.theirbrand.com with automatic TLS and no “Powered by Merlonix” badge.
Your margin to keep
You pay one add-on cost and package it into the retainer you already bill. The markup — and the margin — are yours.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need DNS or registrar access to my clients’ domains to monitor them?
No. Merlonix monitors from the outside in — it probes each domain’s public SSL certificate, DNS records, WHOIS/registration data, and HTTP responses the same way a browser or DNS resolver would. You add an asset by its hostname; no access to the client’s registrar, DNS provider, or servers is required.
What does Merlonix actually check on each site?
Every monitored asset gets continuous SSL-certificate (expiry, issuer, and chain changes), DNS-record, domain-registration/expiry, and uptime monitoring by default. You can also enable infrastructure and reputation checks a standard uptime monitor never reaches — security headers, DNSSEC/DANE, domain-hijack/registrar-lock, blocklist, and cron/heartbeat monitoring — each a live check you turn on per asset.
How often does it check, and how do alerts reach me?
Checks run on your plan’s cadence — as often as every 1 min on Team and above, and every 5 min on Starter. When a certificate, DNS record, registration, or response changes, you get an alert by email and Slack. Alerts fire on real state changes between definitive checks, not on a transient blip.
How much does it cost, and is there a free option?
Yes — there is a free $0 plan (no credit card) to watch a small number of assets, and paid plans start at $19/mo (Starter). You can also start a 14-day full-workspace trial with no card. See the pricing grid above for the assets, seats, and check cadence on each tier.
Stop finding out from clients.
Add your first Cargo client portfolio domain in under two minutes. The first SSL or DNS alert tells you whether monitoring was worth it — usually within the first week. 14-day trial, no card required.