Static sites still have DNS and SSL surface
that standard monitoring misses.
Gatsby agencies deploy client sites as static outputs to Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare Pages — each with a CNAME delegation from the client's custom domain to the CDN edge. When clients change registrars, move DNS to Cloudflare, or switch IT providers, CNAME records break silently. The build succeeds. The site deploys. The DNS record points nowhere. Merlonix catches the break before clients report it.
No credit card either way — start free, or trial the full workspace.
- Check cadence (Agency)
- 1 min
- SSL pre-expiry alert
- 30 days
- Encrypted DNS lookups
- DoH
- Vendors watched
- 11
Where Gatsby agencies get caught out
Three failure modes specific to Gatsby static site deployments.
Static sites have the same DNS and SSL attack surface as dynamic sites — they just break silently because there is no server error to surface the problem. Gatsby agencies managing client portfolios across Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare Pages need DNS and SSL monitoring that standard tools don't provide.
CDN CNAME drift after client DNS migrations
Client registrar migrations break static site CNAME delegations without any build-side indication
Gatsby agencies configure custom domains by adding a CNAME record in the client's DNS zone pointing to the CDN edge — Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare Pages each have their own CNAME target. When a client migrates their domain to a new registrar, the DNS records are frequently carried over incompletely. The CNAME record is the most common casualty: it is often dropped, recreated with the wrong target, or created at the apex zone instead of the subdomain level. The Gatsby build process and the CDN platform have no visibility into whether the client's DNS is correctly pointing at them. The site deploys, the build log shows success, and the DNS break is invisible until a client or end user reports the site is offline.
SSL certificate reprovisioning gaps
Static site CDN platforms reprovision SSL on their schedule after CNAME changes
Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare Pages provision SSL certificates for custom domains automatically via Let's Encrypt. Certificate provisioning requires that the CNAME record is intact and correctly resolving. When a client CNAME breaks, the CDN platform cannot reprovision the certificate at the next renewal cycle because the ACME DNS challenge fails. The existing certificate stays valid and shows as "healthy" in any SSL checker until the renewal deadline passes — then the custom domain goes HTTPS-broken with no advance warning to the agency. For certificates renewed 6–8 months ago, the gap between the CNAME breaking and the SSL failure is invisible to standard monitoring.
Multi-CDN portfolio complexity
Gatsby agencies using Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare Pages simultaneously have no unified DNS view
Gatsby agencies managing 10–30 clients rarely use a single CDN for every client. Some clients come with an existing Netlify account. Others are hosted on Vercel because a previous developer set it up. Some moved to Cloudflare Pages for performance or cost reasons. Each CDN platform has its own CNAME target format, custom domain configuration interface, and DNS validation approach. Managing DNS health across three CDN platforms with 10+ clients each requires checking three dashboards. Merlonix gives agencies a single view of CNAME integrity and SSL health across all CDN platforms in one place.
How it works
SSL and DNS monitoring across every CDN your Gatsby clients use.
Merlonix monitors CNAME integrity and SSL health across Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare Pages deployments from a single dashboard — so Gatsby agencies get one view instead of three CDN dashboards with no DNS visibility.
01
Add client domains in under two minutes each
Verify ownership with a DNS TXT record on the apex domain. All subdomains — production, staging, and branch deploy custom domains — are added without additional verification. Full monitoring coverage starts immediately, regardless of which CDN each client uses.
02
CNAME integrity checks across all CDN platforms
A DNS-over-HTTPS resolver verifies CNAME records on every check interval — whether the target is a Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare Pages endpoint. When a client nameserver migration drops a CNAME, the alert fires within minutes, while the current SSL certificate is still valid and there is still time to restore the record before any visitor impact.
03
SSL chain validation and domain expiry
Full SSL certificate chain validation on every check. Expiry alerts at 30 days lead time. Domain registration expiry alerts separate from SSL expiry. A client who forgot to renew their domain registration gets a 30-day warning — not a site-offline call at midnight.
04
Vendor status for Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare
Merlonix monitors Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare platform status alongside client SSL and DNS. When a Netlify CDN degradation takes multiple client sites offline simultaneously, you see the vendor incident before clients start reporting — and the correlation is automatic, not manual.
What the numbers mean for Gatsby agencies
Monitoring built for multi-CDN static site portfolios.
Gatsby agencies deploying client sites across Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare Pages have DNS and SSL surface spread across three CDN platforms with no single visibility layer. Merlonix consolidates CNAME and SSL monitoring across all three into one dashboard with per-client alert routing.
< 10 min
Time from DNS change to alert — catches CDN CNAME drift before the SSL certificate enters its renewal window
30 days
SSL expiry warning lead time — enough time to restore a broken Netlify or Vercel CNAME before certificate renewal fails
11 vendors
Upstream services monitored — Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare included for cross-client incident correlation on Gatsby portfolios
250 assets
Maximum monitored domains on the Agency plan — covers production and staging environments across a full static site client roster
Pricing
Flat monthly fee. Every domain and CDN platform included.
No per-domain charges. No per-CDN fees. Pick the tier that fits your Gatsby client count and add clients without billing surprises.
Starter
For individual Gatsby developers managing a small static site client portfolio.
$19/ month
- 15 monitored assets
- 3 seats
- 5 min check cadence
- SSL + DNS + vendor monitoring
- Email + Slack alerts
Team
For Gatsby agencies with production and staging environments across multiple CDN platforms.
$79/ month
- 60 monitored assets
- 10 seats
- 1 min check cadence
- SSL + DNS + vendor monitoring
- Email + Slack alerts
Agency
For agencies with a full Gatsby client roster across Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare Pages.
$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.
Know when a client CDN CNAME breaks before they email you.
Add your first Gatsby client domain in under two minutes. Every CDN platform is covered from the same dashboard. 14-day trial, no card required.