Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about FlareCanary and API schema drift monitoring.
What is API schema drift?
API schema drift happens when a third-party API changes its response structure — new fields added, fields removed, data types changed, or nested objects restructured. These silent changes can break your integration code without any warning from the API provider.
How does FlareCanary detect schema changes?
FlareCanary periodically calls each API endpoint you monitor and captures the response structure. It compares the current response schema against the stored baseline and detects any differences — new fields, removed fields, type changes, and structural modifications. Changes are classified by severity (info, warning, or breaking).
What APIs can FlareCanary monitor?
FlareCanary can monitor any HTTP/HTTPS API endpoint that returns JSON responses. This includes REST APIs, GraphQL endpoints (via POST), and any public or authenticated API. You can add custom headers for authentication (Bearer tokens, API keys, etc.).
How often does FlareCanary check my endpoints?
Check frequency depends on your plan. The Free plan checks daily (every 24 hours). The Starter plan ($19/month) checks hourly. The Pro plan ($49/month) checks every 15 minutes. You can configure the interval per endpoint.
Is FlareCanary free to use?
Yes! The Free plan includes monitoring for up to 3 API endpoints with daily checks, email alerts, and 7 days of drift history. Paid plans start at $19/month for more endpoints and faster check intervals.
How do I get notified when drift is detected?
FlareCanary supports email alerts and webhook notifications. You can configure alert destinations globally or per-endpoint. Each alert includes the severity level, a summary of what changed, and a link to the full schema diff.
Can I use FlareCanary with authenticated APIs?
Yes. When adding an endpoint, you can specify custom HTTP headers (like Authorization: Bearer your-token or X-API-Key: your-key). FlareCanary sends these headers with every poll request. You can also specify a request body for POST/PUT/PATCH endpoints.
What's the difference between FlareCanary and API uptime monitoring?
Uptime monitors check if an API is responding (status codes, latency). FlareCanary goes deeper — it analyzes the actual response structure. An API can return 200 OK while completely changing its response format, breaking your code. FlareCanary catches these structural changes that uptime monitors miss.
Does FlareCanary store my API responses?
FlareCanary stores only the inferred schema structure of your API responses — not the actual response data. This means field names, data types, and structural relationships are captured, but no sensitive values or payload content is stored.
Can multiple team members use the same account?
Team access is available on the Pro plan ($49/month). Team members can view all monitored endpoints, drift history, and alert configurations. Each team member has their own login credentials.