Self-hosted status pages

Service and server status pages are intended to provide real-time transparency during outages, performance issues, or scheduled maintenance. They serve as a single source of truth for customers who expect clarity, speed, and accuracy when problems arise. However, many organisations make the mistake of building or hosting these pages on the same infrastructure that powers their services. This approach introduces serious risks that undermine credibility, compliance, and operational resilience.

Status pages

The primary purpose of a status page is to:

• Communicate uptime, downtime, and service incidents.
• Reduce strain on support teams by answering customer questions proactively.
• Demonstrate commitment to transparency and customer trust.

When functioning correctly, a status page is not just a technical tool. It is a critical communications asset that can preserve confidence during moments of disruption.

Hosting

Running a status page on the same infrastructure that delivers core services creates risks that undermine its fundamental purpose of providing independent and reliable communication during outages.

Failure

If the infrastructure goes down, the status page fails with it. Customers are left without access to critical updates at the moment they need them most.

Reporting

Internal monitoring can create blind spots. Systems may appear operational when customers are experiencing downtime, resulting in inaccurate or misleading updates.

Compliance

For organisations subject to disclosure obligations, such as incident reporting requirements in the Australian Privacy Act or market rules under the Corporations Act, an inaccessible or inaccurate status page is not just inconvenient. It may expose the organisation to regulatory scrutiny.

Impact

The consequences of a self-hosted status page extend beyond technical inconvenience:

• Customers lose trust if communication fails during outages
• Support requests increase sharply without a reliable status reference
• Brand reputation suffers long-term damage, with customer churn following major incidents

Platforms

Independent third-party solutions are designed to eliminate the risks created by self-hosting. These platforms:

• Operate on infrastructure that is separate from client systems, ensuring availability during outages
• Integrate with monitoring and incident management tools to deliver accurate updates
• Provide compliance-ready data handling and transparent reporting features
• Reduce operational overhead while supporting brand-aligned communication

Platforms

When comparing platforms, several stand out for their balance of reliability, design, and accessibility. Based on practical advantages and user value, the following five represent the preferred options.

Instatus

Selected for its generous free tier, Instatus is ideal for startups and small businesses seeking a modern design without upfront cost. It allows quick setup, subscriber notifications, and clean status communication. Paid upgrades unlock custom domains and private pages, making it a scalable option.

Better Stack

Chosen for its modern design, detailed incident workflows, and process maturity. Better Stack integrates monitoring, logging, and alerting into one platform, making it a strong choice for businesses that value both transparency and operational efficiency.

Uptime Kuma

Although self-hosted, Uptime Kuma earns its place due to its open-source flexibility and unlimited configuration. When deployed on infrastructure separate from production systems, it can serve as a cost-free, customisable solution for organisations with the technical capacity to manage it securely.

Hyperping

Hyperping is included for its sleek design and unlimited public or private pages. Its focus on simplicity and straightforward pricing makes it attractive to companies seeking a professional, modern customer-facing status page with minimal overhead.

UptimeRobot

As one of the most established tools in the market, UptimeRobot remains a preferred option for reliability and ease of setup. Its free tier offers essential monitoring and status page functionality, while paid plans unlock faster intervals and better branding.

A self-hosted status page undermines the very trust it is meant to build. Outages are when businesses must communicate clearly and reliably, not when they should expose gaps in planning. By investing in an independent service, companies gain credibility, reduce operational risk, and reassure customers that transparency is more than a promise.