Is it down?
Find out whether a website is down for everyone or only for you, and which step fails: the name lookup, the connection, the certificate or the web server.
Results for docs-front-door.github.com
Not answering
docs-front-door.github.com does not resolve
The name doesn't resolve from any place. Check that the domain is registered and that its name servers answer. Down for the probes does not always mean down for you. Some sites block data centre addresses.
Our serverDownName lookup failed
From the LookupOwl server- Name lookup
- Connection: not reached
- Secure: not reached
- Web page: not reached
Open a place for its layers and timings. Problems sort first.
- From your connectionIf it opens for you but is down above, the problem is probably between those places and the site. If it doesn't open for you either, it is down for everyone.Open docs-front-door.github.com in a new tab
- From our serverOne HEAD request from our server: Name lookup failed.
Structured result (JSON) · 1.1 KB
{
"url": "https://docs-front-door.github.com/",
"method": "HEAD",
"verdict": {
"kind": "down",
"failingLayer": "dns",
"summary": "docs-front-door.github.com does not resolve: our server could find the name in DNS.",
"headline": "docs-front-door.github.com does not resolve",
"detail": "The name doesn't resolve from any place. Check that the domain is registered and that its name servers answer. Down for the probes does not always mean down for you. Some sites block data centre addresses.",
"counts": {
"asked": 1,
"ran": 1,
"up": 0,
"slow": 0,
"down": 1,
"cert": 0,
"blocked": 0
}
},
"places": [],
"certSame": false,
"serverCheck": {
"status": "finished",
"verdict": "down",
"failingLayer": "dns",
"reason": "Name lookup failed",
"layers": {
"dns": "fail",
"tcp": "skipped",
"tls": "skipped",
"http": "skipped"
},
"timingsMs": {
"dns": null,
"tcp": null,
"tls": null,
"firstByte": null,
"download": null,
"total": null
},
"tls": null
}
}Next step
- SSL checkerCheck the certificate in detailCheck docs-front-door.github.com in SSL checker
- Traceroute and MTRWhere does the path break?Check docs-front-door.github.com in Traceroute and MTR
- DNS lookupDoes the name point where you expect?Check docs-front-door.github.com in DNS lookup
What this check does
Most "is it down" sites count reports from other visitors. This one asks. We open the address from probes in several parts of the world, and once from our own server, and time every step a browser takes: looking up the name, opening a connection, the secure handshake, and the answer from the web server. The result is a diagnosis, not a vote.
That matters because "down" is not one thing. A site can fail because its name does not resolve, because nothing accepts connections, because its certificate ran out, or because the web server answers with an error. Each one has a different fix and a different person who can make it. We name the layer that fails and say what it usually means.
How to use it
- Type the addressA domain such as
example.comor a full web address such ashttps://example.com/page. We addhttps://when you leave it out. Only http and https on the usual ports can be checked. - Choose where fromFrom our server is one check and sends nothing to anyone else. From many places asks Globalping, a free network of probes run by volunteers, to open the address from several countries. Your browser starts that check after you accept a short notice, and it receives the address and your IP address.
- Read the answerThe first line says whether it is up, slow, partly down, down, blocked or has a certificate problem. Below it, every place is a small card with its status and the step it reached. Problems sort first. Open a card for the layers and timings of that place.
- Compare with your own browserThe "From your connection" row has a link that opens the address in a new tab. If it opens for you but is down in the results, the problem is probably between those places and the site. If it does not open for you either, it is down for everyone.
The four steps, and what a failure in each means
| Step | What fails | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Name lookup (DNS) | The name does not resolve | The domain is not registered or has expired, its name servers are down, or the record was removed. If it fails only in some places, a regional DNS problem or a stale cache. |
| Connection (TCP) | Refused, reset or timed out | The web server is not running or not listening on that port, a firewall drops the traffic, or a CDN edge is down. A refusal is quick; a timeout means packets are being dropped. |
| Secure (TLS) | The handshake or the certificate fails | The certificate expired, is for another name, is self-signed or has a missing intermediate. The site answers, but browsers refuse it. |
| Web page (HTTP) | An error status | A 5xx means the server is up but the application behind it is failing or overloaded. 403 and 429 usually mean the site is refusing automated checks. |
The ladder in each card stops at the first step that fails and shows the rest as not reached. If every place stops at the same step, that is where to look. If only some places stop, the cause is often regional: a CDN edge, a routing problem or a DNS cache that is out of date. To dig into one step, use the DNS lookup, the SSL checker or traceroute.
Reading the result
- Up means every place that ran got a normal answer in under two seconds.
- Slow means it answered, but at least one place waited more than two seconds. The card names the slowest step.
- Down in some places is the most useful result: the site works for some people and not others, and the heading names where.
- Certificate problem means the site answers, but its certificate would make a browser show a warning. We never call that down, and we show the certificate once when every place saw the same one.
- Blocked means the site answered 403 or 429, or sent a challenge page. That is a choice by the site.
- A place that did not run is counted separately. A probe that was offline says nothing about the site.
Probes do not follow redirects. When a site sends visitors elsewhere, a place shows the first address it was sent to and says we did not follow it. Our own server does follow redirects, up to five, and reports where they end.
Fair use, privacy and limits
To be kind to the site you are checking, we share one result per address for a minute, and we cap how often one address can be checked across all visitors. If you check again within that minute you see the same result, with its age. The REST API and MCP server run at most five places and use our own access to Globalping. In your browser, a check from many places spends your own allowance with Globalping, not ours.
We never check addresses on private networks, and we do not keep a history of sites. There are no pages for individual sites. What happens to the address and your IP when you check from many places is written in the privacy page.
Questions people ask
Is the website down for everyone or just me?
Open the address in your own browser and compare it with the results. If it opens for you but fails here, the problem is probably between those places and the site. If it does not open for you either, it is down for everyone. If it fails here but opens for you, the site may be refusing probes, so look for the word "blocked".
Why does it say blocked and not down?
The site answered with 403 or 429, or sent a challenge page. A web server that answers is up. Many sites refuse probes in data centres on purpose, and visitors on home networks are often let through. We ask home and office networks first for that reason.
What does it mean when it is down only in some places?
Something between those places and the site is failing, not the site as a whole. The usual causes are a regional DNS problem, a CDN edge that is down, a routing problem or one unhealthy server behind a load balancer. The card shows which step failed, which narrows it down.
Why do you not follow redirects from the probes?
The probe network sends the request you asked for and reports the first answer. A redirect is a valid answer, so it counts as up, and we show where it points. Our own server follows up to five redirects and shows where they end, so you can see the final page.
Can I check a site from my own network?
A web page cannot probe other sites from your browser, so we do not pretend to. The row called "From your connection" gives you a link to open the address in a new tab. What your browser shows is the real answer for your connection.
Is the address sent to anyone?
From our server, only the site you check receives a request. From many places, the address and your IP address go to Globalping, a free probe network, and nothing else leaves your browser. We ask before the first time, and we remember your choice on this device only.
Can I use it from a script or an AI assistant?
Yes. The same check is in the REST API and the MCP server as http_check_global. It returns the status, the timings of each step, the certificate and the verdict for each place. See the privacy page for what is logged.
Use it from AI, the API or the command line
Every LookupOwl tool is also a free API and an MCP tool, with no key and no account. This one is http_check_global. Please be kind to the rate limits.
curl "https://lookupowl.com/api/v1/tools/http-check-global?q=example.com&places=1"claude mcp add --transport http lookupowl https://lookupowl.com/mcp