> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.tryfinch.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Monitor Usage

> In this guide, you'll find best practices for monitoring your application's usage of Finch to identify patterns and potential issues.

Implementing monitoring tools or processes to keep track of your application's usage of the Finch APIs will help you identify patterns and potential issues (see [Mitigate Errors](/implementation-guide/Backend-Application/Mitigate-Errors) for more details). Events such as frequent rate limit overages or a sudden increases in error rates can be quickly identified and actioned if proper monitoring is in place.

## Use the Introspect Endpoint

The [`/introspect`](/api-reference/management/introspect)  endpoint is an extremely important tool when using Finch, allowing you to read account information associated with an access\_token such as the connection status.

## Log finch request id

It is best practice to log the `finch-request-id` for every response, whether successful or unsuccessful. The `finch-request-id` can be found in every HTTP response Header. The `finch-request-id` is required by the Finch Support team for debugging request issues.

## Store the connection id

Each Finch `access_token` is associated with a static Finch `connection_id`. You can find the id using the [`/introspect`](/api-reference/management/introspect) endpoint. Save this in your data store alongside the access token and use it when contacting Finch Support about an issue.

## Monitor API requests

Track API response times to and from Finch. A spike in latency can indicate network problems or possible Finch performance degradations.

Continuously check for increases in error rate responses from Finch. This can indicate problems with the Finch APIs or issues with how your application sends requests to the Finch APIs.

<Info>
  Finch reports all API outages and provider integration incidents. You can subscribe to receive email notifications from [https://status.tryfinch.com](https://status.tryfinch.com) whenever we create, update, or resolve an incident.
</Info>

## Optimize API usage

Regularly review your application's usage of Finch APIs and identify opportunities to optimize and improve performance. This may include refining batch request sizes to improve latency, improving error handling, or adjusting request patterns to avoid rate limits.

***

## Checkpoint + Next Step

<Check>
  After completing this step, you should be equipped to preemptively identify and address potential issues in your application and your Finch integration, helping you get the most value from Finch's services. Now that you have an application that is connected, secure, please review the [Control Access](/implementation-guide/Backend-Application/Control-Access) and [Manage Connections](/implementation-guide/Backend-Application/Manage-Connections) guides to make sure your application is set up to handle your specific use case.
</Check>

## Learn more

* [Finch Status Updates](https://status.tryfinch.com)