Running Local Monitors
Distill Web Monitor enables organizations to run local monitors through the browser extension or desktop app. This is particularly useful for scenarios where cloud-based monitoring is not suitable or possible.
Common Use Cases for Local Monitoring
| Scenario | Why Local Monitoring is Needed |
|---|---|
| Difficult-to-monitor pages | Pages that frequently block cloud-based requests |
| Geo-location specific content | Requires access from a local IP when proxies are insufficient |
| Login-required pages | Maintains active login sessions without repeated authentication |
| High-frequency monitoring | Local monitoring supports intervals as low as 5 seconds (cloud minimum is 1 minute) |
Understanding Local Monitoring in Enterprise
Local monitors are checks performed from a user’s browser (via extension) instead of the cloud.
In multi-user Enterprise setups, visibility becomes important. If local monitors are not correctly scoped, they remain private to the creator’s device — which can lead to:
- Missed alerts by other team members
- Inability to manage or edit monitors centrally
- Duplicate monitors being created by different users
To ensure visibility, monitors created from the browser extension must be associated with a Primary Workspace.
Device’s Primary Workspace
A Primary Workspace determines where local monitors from a device are stored and who can access them.
Monitors can run locally on a device (browser extension) only if they belong to that device’s Primary Workspace. You can change the Primary Workspace from the extension settings.
A device’s Primary Workspace can be either:
- Your personal workspace, or
- A shared workspace
If you want monitors running on your device to be visible to your team, set a shared workspace as the Primary Workspace.
When to Use a Shared Workspace as Primary
You may want to use a shared workspace as the Primary Workspace in cases such as:
- Running monitors that need to be visible to other team members
- Ensuring alerts and monitoring history are accessible to the team
- Allowing other users to edit or manage monitors created on your device
- Avoiding duplication of monitors across different users
Setting Up Primary Workspace
- Open the Distill Browser Extension
- Navigate to the Watchlist
- Click the ⚙️ Settings (gear icon)
- Scroll to Primary Workspace
- Select your team’s workspace from the dropdown
- Click Save
Note: This setting applies per browser/device. If you switch browsers or machines, you will need to configure it again.
Desktop App Support
In addition to the browser extension, Distill also supports local monitoring via a Desktop App.
- Does not use browser tabs for running checks, so it does not affect your browsing experience
- Works with websites that require an active tab to load properly (which may not function reliably in browser-based monitoring)
Summary
Local monitoring allows checks to run from a real browser environment, which is useful for restricted or dynamic pages.
Primary Workspaces ensure that monitors created from the browser extension are visible and manageable within a team environment.
Need assistance setting up your Primary Workspace across the team?
Contact Distill Support for deployment guidance and onboarding help.