Is this site down?
Paste a site's address. We open it from our server and, when a machine is available, from another connection: you will know whether the outage is general or on your side.
If the site answers here but not for you
When a site answers from our server, the problem is almost always between you and it. In order, from simplest to least simple:
- Force a reload (Ctrl+F5, or Cmd+Shift+R on a Mac): the browser may have kept an error in memory.
- Try from your phone, on 4G or 5G: if it works, the cause is your router, your network or your internet provider.
- Briefly turn off your VPN, ad blocker or antivirus: some block entire domains.
- Flush the DNS cache of your computer (or restart the router): after a change of host, your machine may still know the old address.
What each cause means
| Cause | What happens | Who can act |
|---|---|---|
| Name not found | the domain points to nothing | the owner: expired domain, or DNS down |
| Unreachable, timed out | the server does not answer | the host |
| Server error (5xx) | the server answers, the application fails | the owner or their developer |
| Invalid certificate | the browser blocks the page | the owner: renew the certificate |
Why two vantage points
A single point cannot tell "down for everyone" from "down from one network". When a machine in our fleet is available, it runs the check again from its own connection: two identical answers are an answer, two different answers point to a partial outage.
What this tool does not do
- It only checks the address entered: a site can answer on its home page and be down on its login or its application.
- It monitors nothing over time: to be warned of your site's next outage, you need monitoring.
- It does not see what your network sees: if the site only fails for you, the cause is between you and it, and only your own tests can locate it.
Frequently asked questions
The site answers here but not for me. Why?
Because the cause is between you and the site: browser cache, router, internet provider, VPN or blocker. Try from your phone on 4G: if it works, the site is fine and your connection is the problem.
Why is "blocks bots" not an outage?
Because the site answers: its firewall recognised our bot and turned it away, as it does with all bots. Visitors see the site normally.
How long does an outage usually last?
Most last less than an hour: a server restarted, a deployment rolled back. A DNS failure or an expired domain can last several days, because someone has to notice it.
How can I be warned when my site goes down?
With monitoring: it checks your site at regular intervals and emails you as soon as it stops answering. Hosts almost never warn you, and a customer is often the first to notice.
Going further
Your website is down: the first fifteen minutes A calm, ordered checklist for when a site stops responding: confirm the outage, find the layer at fault, and communicate before your customers ask.The other tools
What CMS is this site using?
The CMS, the shop, the WordPress theme and the tools a page gives away, with the proof for each.
Who is hosting this website?
Who hosts the pages, who runs the DNS and who handles the email, without mixing them up.
Check a domain name
Expiry date, registrar and status of a domain name.
Know your site is down before your customers do
Expansel checks your site as often as every fifteen minutes depending on the plan, and emails you as soon as it stops answering, then when it is back. Free for one site, no credit card.