A website does not open, the browser shows an error or loads forever. The first question is simple: is the site down for everyone, or is the problem on your side — your provider, your network or your device? Here is how to find out in a couple of minutes.
1. Check the website over HTTP from different countries
Open the HTTP check and enter the address of the site, for example https://example.com. The check opens the page from 25 locations at once and shows the status code and response time from each.
- 200 OK almost everywhere — the site works. The problem is most likely on your side.
- Errors everywhere (timeouts, 5xx codes) — the site is down for everyone.
- Works in some countries, not in others — the site may be blocked in some regions or one of its servers is unavailable.
2. Look at the status code
- 5xx (500, 502, 503, 504) — the server or the proxy in front of it has a problem. Usually only the site owner can fix it.
- 4xx (403, 404) — the server answers but refuses or cannot find the page. 403 from a single country often means blocking by country or by a firewall.
- Timeout — the server does not answer at all: it may be down, overloaded or under a DDoS attack.
3. Check DNS
If the HTTP check says the host is not found, open the DNS check. If resolvers in different countries return no A and AAAA records, or different ones, the domain may have expired, its DNS servers are down or records were changed recently and have not spread yet.
4. Ping and traceroute
Ping shows whether the server answers at all and how many packets get lost. Keep in mind that many servers block ping on purpose, so a failed ping alone does not mean the site is down. Traceroute and MTR show on which network along the route the packets get lost.
If the site works for everyone but not for you
- clear the browser cache or open the site in a private window;
- try another network, for example mobile internet instead of Wi-Fi;
- change DNS servers on your device;
- check your own address on the IP info page — your provider or VPN may route traffic through another country.