What is polling interval? How do polling intervals affect detection speed?

The polling interval refers to how often a system or process checks for updates, changes, or new data.

Polling intervals significantly affect detection speed. Longer intervals can delay the discovery of issues, increasing the risk of downtime and leading to user dissatisfaction.

Middleware has the shortest polling time compared to other observability platforms, which greatly enhances real-time alert capabilities. In observability tools, the polling interval plays a crucial role in detection speed and issue management. For instance, a 5-minute polling interval in Datadog could allow problems like CPU spikes or memory leaks to develop and worsen before the team is alerted.

This feature ensures faster detection, quicker response times, and greater control over system performance. By minimizing the lag between detection and alerting, Middleware helps teams stay ahead of potential issues and protect critical systems from unexpected downtime.