> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://getmonitor.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Scheduled Maintenance

> Plan and communicate scheduled maintenance windows to your users

## What is Scheduled Maintenance?

Scheduled maintenance represents planned downtime or service disruptions. Unlike incidents (which are unplanned), maintenance windows are communicated in advance to set user expectations.

## Creating a Maintenance Window

To schedule maintenance:

1. Navigate to your **Status Page**
2. Click **Maintenance**
3. Click **+ Schedule Maintenance** or similar button
4. Fill in the maintenance details

### Maintenance Information

**Title:**

* Clear description of what you're doing
* Example: "Database Upgrade"
* Example: "Server Migration"

**Affected Components:**

* Select which services will be impacted
* Users can see exactly what won't work
* Can select multiple components

**Scheduled Start Time:**

* When maintenance begins
* Include timezone
* Be specific (not "around 2pm")

**Estimated Duration:**

* How long you expect it to take
* Add buffer time to be safe
* Example: "2 hours" or "30 minutes"

**Status:**

* **Scheduled** - Planned for future
* **In Progress** - Currently happening
* **Completed** - Finished

## Maintenance Lifecycle

### 1. Scheduled (Before Maintenance)

When planning maintenance:

* Create maintenance event
* Set start time (typically 24-72 hours in advance)
* Provide estimated duration
* Explain what you'll be doing
* List affected services

**Example:**

```
Title: Database Performance Upgrade
Scheduled: March 15, 2026 at 2:00 AM UTC
Duration: 2 hours
Components: Website, API
Message: We'll be upgrading our database servers to improve performance.
During this time, the website and API will be unavailable.
```

### 2. In Progress (During Maintenance)

When maintenance starts:

* Update status to "In Progress"
* Add updates on progress
* Extend duration if needed

### 3. Completed (After Maintenance)

When finished:

* Update status to "Completed"
* Confirm all services restored
* Note if completed early/late
* Thank users for patience

## Timing Recommendations

### Advance Notice

* **Minor changes** (\< 15 min): 24-48 hours notice
* **Moderate changes** (15 min - 2 hours): 3-7 days notice
* **Major changes** (> 2 hours): 1-2 weeks notice

### Scheduling Windows

**Best Times:**

* Overnight in your users' primary timezone
* Weekends for B2B services
* Weekdays for consumer services
* Avoid holidays and peak business hours

**Considerations:**

* Global audience? Pick time that minimizes impact
* B2B service? Avoid business hours
* Consumer service? Avoid evenings/weekends

<Tip>
  Schedule maintenance for 2 AM - 4 AM in your users' primary timezone. This typically has the lowest traffic.
</Tip>

## Communication Best Practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Provide Advance Notice">
    Give users enough time to plan around the outage. Last-minute maintenance frustrates users.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Be Specific About Timing">
    Include exact start time with timezone. "2:00 AM UTC" not "early morning".
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Explain the Benefit">
    Tell users why you're doing this. "To improve performance" or "To enhance security".
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="List Affected Services">
    Be clear about what won't work. Users can plan workarounds.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Add Buffer Time">
    Estimate conservatively. Finishing early is better than running late.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Send Reminders">
    Remind users 24 hours before and 1 hour before maintenance starts.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Maintenance Types

### System Upgrades

```
Title: Application Server Upgrade
Duration: 1 hour
Impact: Website will be unavailable
Benefit: Improved performance and security patches
```

### Database Maintenance

```
Title: Database Index Optimization
Duration: 30 minutes
Impact: Read-only mode (viewing works, edits disabled)
Benefit: Faster query performance
```

### Infrastructure Changes

```
Title: Data Center Migration
Duration: 4 hours
Impact: All services unavailable
Benefit: Better reliability and lower latency
```

### Security Updates

```
Title: Security Patch Deployment
Duration: 15 minutes
Impact: Brief service interruption
Benefit: Critical security updates
```

## Emergency Maintenance

Sometimes maintenance can't be scheduled in advance:

**Emergency Maintenance:**

* Critical security vulnerability
* Immediate risk to service
* Regulatory compliance requirement

**Approach:**

1. Post maintenance notice immediately
2. Explain why it's urgent
3. Apologize for short notice
4. Keep users updated frequently

```
Title: Emergency Security Patch
Status: In Progress
Notice: We're applying a critical security patch. We apologize for the
short notice, but this update is necessary to protect user data.
Expected duration: 30 minutes.
```

## Maintenance vs Incidents

| Maintenance                                 | Incidents                        |
| ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| Planned in advance                          | Unplanned / Emergency            |
| Scheduled start time                        | Starts when detected             |
| Users notified beforehand                   | Users notified when it happens   |
| Controlled downtime                         | Unexpected downtime              |
| Status: Scheduled → In Progress → Completed | Status: Investigating → Resolved |

## Where Maintenance Appears

* **Status Page** - Prominently displayed before start time
* **Email** - Sent to subscribers when scheduled
* **Calendar Feeds** - Users can add to their calendars
* **Slack/Teams** - Posted to configured channels
* **Status Badge** - May indicate upcoming maintenance

## Canceling Maintenance

If maintenance is no longer needed:

1. Update the maintenance event
2. Change status to "Canceled" (if available) or delete
3. Post an update explaining the cancellation
4. Notify subscribers

```
Update: This maintenance has been canceled. The upgrade was completed
during lower-traffic hours without requiring downtime. All services
remain fully operational.
```

## Post-Maintenance Review

After completing maintenance:

1. **Verify all services** are working
2. **Check monitoring** for anomalies
3. **Review duration** - was estimate accurate?
4. **Document learnings** for future maintenance
5. **Update users** on successful completion

<Card title="Add Maintenance Updates" icon="message" href="/docs/incidents-maintenance/maintenance-updates">
  Learn how to update users during maintenance
</Card>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Maintenance Updates" icon="comments" href="/docs/incidents-maintenance/maintenance-updates">
    Communicate progress during maintenance
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage Incidents" icon="triangle-exclamation" href="/docs/incidents-maintenance/incidents">
    Handle unplanned outages
  </Card>

  <Card title="Status Pages" icon="browser" href="/docs/status-pages/overview">
    Configure your status page
  </Card>

  <Card title="Notifications" icon="bell" href="/docs/notifications/alert-rules">
    Set up maintenance notifications
  </Card>
</CardGroup>