# Quickstart: First Monitor and Alert Preferences
This guide follows the frontend dashboard flow and helps configure a production-ready monitor.
1. Open /monitors/new and choose monitor type: http, keyword, ping, port, dns, or heartbeat.
2. Configure URL, method, timeout, interval, retries, and expected status codes.
3. Add multi-region coverage to reduce blind spots.
4. Enable SSL/domain checks and expiry thresholds.
5. Review monitor details at /monitors/{id}.
6. Tune alerts at /monitors/{id}/alert-preferences and global settings at /notification-settings.
7. Organize with /monitor-groups and publish in /status-pages.