# Is It Down? Check a Website from Many Places

Check whether a website is up from several places at once, through Globalping probes (home and office networks preferred). For each place returns the HTTP status, the time spent on name lookup, connection, TLS, first byte and download, a per-layer result (dns, tcp, tls, http), the certificate (issuer, validity, days left, whether browsers would trust it) and a verdict: up, slow, down, cert, blocked. The overall verdict is up, slow, partial (fails in some places), down, cert or unknown, and names the failing layer. Also checks once from our own server (mode server runs only that check). Probes follow no redirects, our server follows them and reports where they end. From REST and MCP at most 5 places run. Results are shared for 60 seconds per target. A 403 from a data-centre probe is not proof the site is down for people. In global mode the target is sent to Globalping.

**Not for:** Monitoring over time, or checking a site behind a login.

- Tool id: `http-check-global`
- Category: network
- Execution: fanout
- MCP tool `http_check_global` at https://lookupowl.com/mcp
- REST `GET https://lookupowl.com/api/v1/tools/http-check-global` (or POST a JSON body)
- OpenAPI: https://lookupowl.com/api/openapi.json

## Input

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `url` | string | yes |  | A website address or a domain. We add https:// when it is missing. Only http and https on the usual ports. min length 1, max length 2048 |
| `mode` | "server" \| "global" | no | `"global"` | server: one check from our own server, no third party. global: from many places through Globalping, a free probe network (the target is sent to it). |
| `preset` | "worldwide" \| "europe" \| "north-america" \| "asia-pacific" \| "south-america-africa" | no | `"worldwide"` | Which part of the world to test from: worldwide, europe, north-america, asia-pacific or south-america-africa. Ignored when `from` is set. |
| `from` | string | no |  | Where to test from, as free text: a country, a city, a network such as AS7922 or Comcast, or a cloud region such as aws-us-east-1. Overrides `preset`. max length 100 |
| `places` | integer | no | `8` | How many places to test from, 1 to 10. From REST, MCP and the web form without JavaScript at most 5 run. min 1, max 10 |
| `eyeball` | boolean | no | `false` | Only home and office networks, not data centres. There are fewer of these, so fewer places may answer. |
| `method` | "HEAD" \| "GET" | no | `"HEAD"` | HEAD asks for the headers only. GET asks for the page (only the first 10 KB are read). |
| `id` | string | no |  | A Globalping measurement id from a permalink: show that saved result. Set by the page, not by hand. max length 40 |

## Output

Results are wrapped in an envelope: `tool`, `version`, `requestId`, `data`, `summary`, `meta` (cache status, timing), `permalink`. `data` has these fields:

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `url` | string |  |
| `method` | "HEAD" \| "GET" |  |
| `verdict` | object |  |
| `places` | object[] |  |
| `certSame` | boolean | Every place that answered saw the same certificate, so the page shows it once. |
| `serverCheck` | object |  |
| `notes` | string[] |  |
| `cacheAgeSeconds` | integer | Set when this is the shared 60 s result for the same target. min -9007199254740991, max 9007199254740991 |
| `measurementId` | string |  |

## Examples

### example.com from our server

```json
{"url":"example.com","mode":"server","preset":"worldwide","places":1,"eyeball":true,"method":"HEAD"}
```

```bash
curl 'https://lookupowl.com/api/v1/tools/http-check-global?eyeball=true&method=HEAD&mode=server&places=1&preset=worldwide&url=example.com'
```

Web page: https://lookupowl.com/is-it-down?q=example.com&places=1

### A site with an expired certificate

```json
{"url":"expired.badssl.com","mode":"server","preset":"worldwide","places":1,"eyeball":true,"method":"HEAD"}
```

```bash
curl 'https://lookupowl.com/api/v1/tools/http-check-global?eyeball=true&method=HEAD&mode=server&places=1&preset=worldwide&url=expired.badssl.com'
```

Web page: https://lookupowl.com/is-it-down?q=expired.badssl.com&places=1

### github.com from eight places (API and MCP run at most five)

```json
{"url":"https://github.com/","mode":"global","preset":"worldwide","places":8,"eyeball":true,"method":"HEAD"}
```

```bash
curl 'https://lookupowl.com/api/v1/tools/http-check-global?eyeball=true&method=HEAD&mode=global&places=8&preset=worldwide&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2F'
```

Web page: https://lookupowl.com/is-it-down?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2F&mode=global

## Web pages

- https://lookupowl.com/is-it-down

## Limits and caching

- Cost: from 1 unit up, depending on the input (a registry lookup counts every upstream request); 1 unit for a cached result. Budgets are per network and published in the `RateLimit` response headers.
- Cache: results are kept for 60 s.
- Timeout: 45 s.

## Related tools

- [Ping from Many Places](https://lookupowl.com/tools/ping.md): Ping a host from our server or from probes in many countries: does it answer, how fast, and how much is lost.
- [Traceroute and MTR](https://lookupowl.com/tools/traceroute.md): Trace the path to a host from our server or other places, with the network behind each hop and a plain verdict.
- [SSL Certificate Checker](https://lookupowl.com/tools/ssl-checker.md): Check a site's SSL/TLS certificate: days until it expires, whether it is trusted, matches the host and has a complete chain.
- [HTTP Headers Checker](https://lookupowl.com/tools/http-headers.md): Fetch a URL, follow its redirects and see every response header, with a security-header grade and caching summary.
- [DNS Lookup](https://lookupowl.com/tools/dns-lookup.md): Look up A, AAAA, MX, NS, TXT, CNAME, SOA, CAA, DS and DNSKEY records from a public resolver or the authoritative nameserver.

## Guide: 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.

### 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.

> **Down for the probes is not always down for you** Many sites treat probes in data centres differently from visitors. A 403 or a block page from a probe is not proof the site is down for people. We mark those places as "blocked", not "down".

### How to use it

1. **Type the address**: A domain such as `example.com` or a full web address such as `https://example.com/page`. We add `https://` when you leave it out. Only http and https on the usual ports can be checked.
2. **Choose where from**: From 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.
3. **Read the answer**: The 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.
4. **Compare with your own browser**: The "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](https://lookupowl.com/dns-lookup), the [SSL checker](https://lookupowl.com/ssl-checker) or [traceroute](https://lookupowl.com/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](https://lookupowl.com/privacy).

### Frequently asked questions

**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](https://lookupowl.com/privacy) for what is logged.