Real User Monitoring (RUM) vs Synthetic Monitoring (STM)

captures and analyzes transactions of a website or application

monitors real users

monitors synthetic users

no control over user actions

complete control over simulated user actions

requires user traffic

does not require user traffic

getting a gauge of performance is difficult, since it relies solely on user traffic which is random

easy to gauge performance, as user traffic can be simulated and controlled

helps with understanding long-term trends

helps diagnose and solve shorter-term performance problems

also known as:

• passive monitoring
• real user measurement
• real user metrics
• end-user experience monitoring

also known as:

• active monitoring
• synthetic transaction monitoring (STM)