M3 Staging Monitor Failure: Troubleshooting Guide

Oct 19, 2025 by ADMIN 50 views

🚨 M3 Staging Monitor Failure: What Happened and How to Fix It

Hey folks! Let's dive into this M3 Staging Monitor Failure, which occurred on 2025-10-16T04:49:03Z. This isn't just a random error; it's a call to action. We'll explore what went wrong, what you need to do, and how to prevent it from happening again. This guide is your go-to resource for understanding and resolving the issue, ensuring your staging environment stays healthy and your projects run smoothly. We'll break down the error, provide step-by-step troubleshooting, and discuss preventative measures. So, buckle up, and let's get started!

Understanding the M3 Staging Monitor Failure

So, what exactly happened with this M3 Staging Monitor Failure? The incident is pretty clear: a monitoring check within the staging environment of our Cerply API failed. Specifically, the smoke tests designed to ensure the API's integrity and functionality flagged an issue. The failure occurred during a test of the /api/preview endpoint, a crucial part of our application. During the test, the system checked for a specific field, .summary, within the response from this endpoint. However, the system couldn't find it, resulting in a failed test. The full logs give us a more detailed view, but in essence, a critical function of the API wasn't working as expected. Let's break down the details, starting with the timestamp, 2025-10-16T04:49:03Z. This is when the error was logged, giving us a precise timeframe for the incident. Then, there is the run, which is identified as #681. This is the specific execution of the workflow where the failure occurred. This allows us to go directly to the source and examine the complete details of the test run. The duration indicates how long the test took to run, which was a mere 1 second. This short duration can mean several things. Either the test failed very quickly, or it passed quickly, followed by the failure. In this case, it was the former. Finally, the failed endpoint is noted as an unknown endpoint. However, we do have a clue - POST /api/preview - it gives us a hint as to where the problem lay. Therefore, the failure indicates that the /api/preview endpoint wasn't performing as expected, leading to this failure. It's like the heart of the system skipped a beat, and we need to figure out why and how to get it pumping smoothly again.

Diving into the Logs: What the Logs Tell Us

The logs are our primary source of truth. They provide a step-by-step account of what happened. They are like the black box of an airplane, giving us critical information. Looking into the last 50 lines of the log, we can see the exact tests that were performed and how the system reacted. It started with an === M3 API Surface Smoke Tests === message. This indicates that we were using smoke tests to check the API. The API_BASE is https://cerply-api-staging-latest.onrender.com. This tells us where the tests were performed. Following that, the log describes the tests for POST /api/preview. This is where the error arose. The log shows that the system tested POST /api/preview and found that the test Testing POST /api/preview ... ✓ 200 passed with a 200 status code, indicating success. However, immediately after, it failed during the attempt to verify the presence of the field .summary. This is when the system responded with ✗ Field not found. The response body is also provided. It indicates a JSON response, which confirms that the API is returning data. In this response, the data contains information about the 'summary' and 'proposed_modules', indicating what the API is supposed to provide. Finally, it has the meta field which contains information about the source of the data and its quality. The log's message, ✗ Field not found, is clear: the .summary field was missing or wasn't correctly populated in the response. This is a crucial piece of information. The log gives us all of the necessary information to perform a thorough investigation.

Action Required: Steps to Take

Okay, so we know there's a problem. Now, what do we do about it? Here's a step-by-step guide to get you back on track. This section outlines the immediate actions required to address the M3 staging monitor failure.

Review the Full Logs: First things first, go deep. Head over to the full logs. Don't just skim; read through everything, every single detail. This is like following the trail of breadcrumbs to the source of the issue. You need to understand precisely what happened before, during, and after the failure. Look for any other clues or warning signs. The more information you have, the better equipped you'll be to diagnose the problem. The full logs give you the complete picture of the environment, dependencies, and any other external factors. Examine the requests, responses, and any error messages carefully. You're looking for patterns, inconsistencies, or anything that could explain why the .summary field was missing. Consider the timing, other services running, and any recent changes that could have affected the API's behavior.
Verify Staging API Health: Next, we need to ensure the staging API is actually up and running. Use this link: https://cerply-api-staging-latest.onrender.com/api/health. This is like checking the heartbeat of the API. If the health check fails, that's a big red flag indicating deeper issues. You'll want to visit the staging environment's health endpoint to confirm its operational status. This simple check gives us an overview of the environment. If the health endpoint is inaccessible or returns errors, it signifies a problem with the API server. This might point to an issue such as a server outage, a misconfiguration, or deployment errors. A successful health check means the server is running, but it doesn't guarantee everything is working perfectly.
Check for Infrastructure Issues: Head over to the Render dashboard. This is where you can look for infrastructure-related issues. Think of the dashboard as the control center of your staging environment. The Render dashboard is where you'll get a clear picture of the underlying infrastructure that supports your staging environment. This is where you monitor the resources, configurations, and any potential bottlenecks that could affect API performance. Common problems to check for include: server outages, resource constraints, deployment issues, and configuration errors. Look for any spikes in resource usage, high latency, or error logs, as these are indicators of underlying infrastructure issues.
Re-run the Workflow: If the failure appears transient, re-running the workflow is the easiest solution. Sometimes, issues are temporary. They can be caused by network glitches, transient errors, or other brief problems. A quick re-run can often resolve these issues without requiring extensive troubleshooting. If this is the case, you've got a quick win. It is best to wait a few minutes, then trigger the workflow again. Then, monitor the tests and check the results to see if the issue has been resolved. If the tests pass on the second attempt, you've successfully addressed a transient issue.
Investigate and Fix the Failing Endpoint: If the issue persists, we need to dig deeper and fix the API endpoint. This involves a thorough examination of the code, configuration, and any other components of the /api/preview endpoint. Start by looking at the code. Check the endpoint's code. Review the logic to ensure the .summary field is correctly generated. Then, look for any recent code changes, as these may have introduced a regression or an error that is causing the problem. Review the database queries, API calls, and any other components involved in generating the response. Consider recent updates and deployments.

Related Resources: Where to Find More Help

To help you with this incident, there are related resources. These resources will provide additional context and support as you work to resolve the issue.

Epic: EPIC_M3_API_SURFACE.md: This is a high-level description of the M3 API surface. It provides the bigger picture, detailing the goals, objectives, and scope of the API. Reviewing this document helps you understand the intended functionality of the API. It is especially useful in providing context for the api/preview endpoint. The epic might also include information about past incidents and how they were resolved. It's a comprehensive overview to understand the scope and objectives. It is a guide that can help you understand the API's broader implications.
Staging Report: STAGING_TEST_REPORT.md: This report provides a detailed view of the staging environment. This is the place to go if you want a complete picture of the testing performed in the staging environment. The report may provide details of past test runs, including what tests passed and failed. It provides valuable context on the health of your staging environment. The report can also highlight patterns or trends in test failures, which can help in diagnosing the root cause. This helps you grasp the overall health and performance of the staging environment and identify potential areas of concern.
Smoke Script: api/scripts/smoke-m3.sh: This is the actual script that runs the smoke tests. By examining this script, you can gain a deeper understanding of how the tests are conducted, what they check for, and the expected outcomes. The script contains the exact commands used to test the /api/preview endpoint, including the specific requests made and the expected responses. This will allow you to diagnose the issue more efficiently. It will help you quickly understand the logic of the smoke tests, the API endpoints, and the testing procedures in place.

Preventing Future Failures: Proactive Measures

We don't want to keep repeating this. Here are the proactive steps you can take to prevent this from happening again. Let's make sure we're not just fixing the problem, but also building a stronger, more resilient system. Preventing future failures is key to maintaining a stable and reliable staging environment.

Improve Monitoring: Expand and refine your monitoring systems. You need more detailed monitoring to catch issues before they escalate. Think about the .summary field. Create a specific check that monitors that field and provides alerts if it's missing or incorrect. The more comprehensive your monitoring, the sooner you'll detect problems. Increase the frequency of these tests. More frequent checks will help identify problems quickly. Detailed monitoring also provides more context. This is what you need to track down the root cause. The better your monitoring, the more quickly you'll resolve future issues.
Enhance Testing: Review and strengthen your testing procedures. Look beyond the /api/preview endpoint. Make sure you cover all the critical components of the API and its functionality. Add more tests to the /api/preview endpoint. The goal is to build a robust system. Consider creating tests that validate the data returned by the endpoint. Include various test cases that cover different scenarios, such as valid inputs and error conditions. You can also write tests that perform end-to-end testing. End-to-end tests help ensure all components of your system work together correctly.
Implement Automated Alerting: Set up automatic alerts to notify the team of failures. The faster you know about the issues, the faster you can resolve them. Integrate your monitoring and testing with robust alerting mechanisms. You can use tools such as Slack, email, or other communication platforms. Configure your monitoring tools to send alerts for failures or anomalies. The goal is to set up a system to receive instant notifications about problems. This ensures that you don't miss any critical events and can respond promptly. Make sure to clearly define the severity of the alerts and assign appropriate escalation paths.
Review and Update Documentation: Keeping your documentation up to date is extremely important. The documentation should be accurate and reflect the current state of the API and staging environment. The documentation should cover all aspects of the /api/preview endpoint, including its purpose, inputs, outputs, and any dependencies. It should include the specifics of the endpoint's behavior. Clear, well-maintained documentation makes it easier to troubleshoot issues.

Conclusion: Keeping Things Running Smoothly

This failure is a reminder of the importance of vigilance. By thoroughly understanding the failure, taking immediate action, and implementing preventive measures, we can keep the staging environment healthy and reduce future failures. Think of this as a learning opportunity. Each incident is a chance to improve our systems and processes. Take the time to implement these measures. The key to preventing future failures is a blend of detailed monitoring, thorough testing, and proactive planning. By continuously refining our approach, we can build a more resilient and reliable system. Let's work together to make sure these types of failures become a rarity. We're all in this together, so let's continue to improve.