Note: The core structure and significant portions of the code for this application were generated with assistance from Google Gemini.

Website Monitor Electron App

A simple desktop application for Windows built with Electron that monitors the uptime of specified websites. It runs in the system tray, checks URLs periodically, and sends email notifications to a configured administrator when a site goes down and again when it comes back up.

Features

• Add & Manage Websites: Easily add or remove website URLs to monitor via the main interface.
• Periodic Uptime Checks: Automatically checks the status of each configured website every 1 minute.
• Email Notifications: Sends an email alert when a monitored site becomes unreachable.
• Recovery Notifications: Sends a follow-up email notification only when a previously down site becomes reachable again.
• Admin Configuration: Set the administrator email address and password (or App Password) for sending notifications via a dedicated Settings screen.
• System Tray Integration:
  • Runs conveniently in the Windows system tray.
  • Closing the main window hides it to the tray instead of quitting.
  • Tray icon provides options to Show/Hide the window or Quit the application.
• Persistent Storage: Uses an SQLite database to store website lists and settings reliably.
• File Logging: Logs application activity and errors to a file for easier troubleshooting.

Technology Stack

• Electron: Framework for building cross-platform desktop apps with web technologies.
• Node.js: JavaScript runtime environment.
• SQLite3: File-based relational database.
• axios: Promise-based HTTP client for checking websites.
• nodemailer: Module for sending emails.
• electron-log: Simple logging library for Electron apps.
• electron-builder: Tool for packaging and building the application.
• HTML, CSS, JavaScript: For the user interface (Renderer Process).

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (LTS version recommended)
• npm (Comes bundled with Node.js)
• Git (for cloning the repository)

Installation & Setup (Development)

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/[YOUR_USERNAME]/[YOUR_REPOSITORY_NAME].git
   cd [YOUR_REPOSITORY_NAME]

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

Running the App (Development)

To run the application in development mode with live reloading and DevTools enabled:

npm start

Building for Production

To package the application into a distributable Windows installer (.exe):

• Set Ensure the build process runs with NODE_ENV=production to disable DevTools in the final build. The included package.json script uses cross-env for this.

• If cross-env is missing: npm install --save-dev cross-env

• Run the package command:

  npm run package

  Output: Find the installer in the dist directory.

• Note for Windows Builds: If you encounter permission errors related to symbolic links during the build ("A required privilege is not held by the client"), try either:

  • Running the npm run package command in a terminal opened as Administrator.
  • Enabling Developer Mode in Windows Settings (Settings -> Update & Security / Privacy & security -> For developers).

Usage

• Launch the Application: Run the installed .exe or use npm start for development.
• Configure Email Settings:
  • Go to File -> Settings.
  • Enter the Admin Email address that will send the notifications (e.g., your monitoring email account).
  • Enter the corresponding Password.
    • SECURITY: For services like Gmail/GSuite, DO NOT use your main account password. Generate and use an App Password. See the Security Warning below.
  • Important: You must also configure the correct SMTP Host and Port directly in the src/monitor.js file within the nodemailer.createTransport options. Common examples:
    • Gmail: host: 'smtp.gmail.com', port: 587, secure: false (requires App Password & possibly enabling STARTTLS)
    • Outlook: host: 'smtp.office365.com', port: 587, secure: false
  • Click Save Settings.
• Add Websites:
  • In the main application window, enter the full URL (e.g., https://example.com or example.com) into the input field.
  • Click Add Website. The site will appear in the table below.
• Monitoring: The application automatically checks all listed websites every minute in the background. The Status and Last Checked columns will update.
• System Tray:
  • Clicking the 'X' (close button) on the main window will hide it to the system tray. The app continues running.
  • Left-click the tray icon to show/hide the main window.
  • Right-click the tray icon for a context menu with options to Show/Hide the window or Quit the application entirely.
• Quitting: To fully close the application, either:
  • Right-click the tray icon and select "Quit Website Monitor".
  • Select File -> Exit from the main window's menu.

Configuration Details

• Email SMTP Settings: Hardcoded in src/monitor.js within nodemailer.createTransport. Modify the host, port, and secure options according to your email provider's requirements.
• Check Interval: Hardcoded in src/monitor.js (variable CHECK_INTERVAL_MS). Default is 60000ms (1 minute).
• Database Location: The monitor_db.sqlite file is stored in a data subfolder within the application's user data directory. You can find this path via Help -> View Logs (the log file is in a sibling logs folder).
  • Windows Example: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\[YOUR_APP_NAME]\data\monitor_db.sqlite (Note: [YOUR_APP_NAME] is based on your package.json name or build.productName)

Troubleshooting & Logging

• Logs: The application logs activity to a file. Access it via Help -> View Logs in the app menu, or find it manually at:
  • Windows: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\[YOUR_APP_NAME]\logs\main.log
• DevTools Opening in Production: If the Developer Tools open after building/installing, ensure NODE_ENV=production is set during the build process (see Building section).
• Build Errors (Permissions): See the "Note for Windows Builds" under the Building section.
• Emails Not Sending:
  • Double-check SMTP settings in src/monitor.js.
  • Verify admin email and password/App Password in Settings are correct.
  • Check email provider's security settings (e.g., use App Passwords, ensure correct ports/security protocols like STARTTLS).
  • Check application logs for errors from nodemailer.

⚠️ Security Warning

This application currently stores the configured admin email password directly in the SQLite database file located in the user's AppData directory.

This is insecure. Anyone with access to the user's computer could potentially access this file and retrieve the password in plain text.

Recommendation:

• Use App Passwords: For services like Gmail, Outlook, etc., generate a dedicated "App Password" specifically for this application instead of using your main account password.
• Future Improvement: Implement more secure storage methods like using electron-store with encryption or leveraging OS-level credential managers (e.g., Windows Credential Manager), which is more complex.
• Do not use your primary email account password directly if possible.

License

This software is released into the public domain via The Unlicense. See the LICENSE file for details. You are free to use, modify, distribute, and sell this software without restriction.

Contributing

While the initial code was AI-generated, contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome! Please feel free to open an Issue or submit a Pull Request.