Is your website down?

How to check if a website is really down

Run through this quick checklist before digging into traceroutes, logs and deep debugging.

• Try loading the site from a different network (mobile tethering).
• Check DNS - make sure your domain resolves and the records are correct.
• Inspect server processes and logs if you control the host.
• Use the commands below to test connectivity from your machine.

Ping (ICMP) - quick reachability test

Ping tests whether the host responds to network packets. Not all servers allow ICMP.

# Linux / macOS
ping -c 4 example.com

# Windows (PowerShell)
ping -n 4 example.com

Traceroute - see where packets stop

Traceroute (tracert on Windows) shows the path packets take. Useful to find network hops causing issues.

# Linux
traceroute example.com

# macOS (uses traceroute too)
traceroute example.com

# Windows (Command Prompt / PowerShell)
tracert example.com

HTTP checks - curl

Use curl to inspect HTTP status codes and headers.

curl -I https://example.com
# or follow redirects
curl -L -I https://example.com

Online tools

• isup.me - quick global reachability check (visit isup.me).
• DownDetector - community reports & outage maps (visit downdetector.com).
• Third-party monitors - many providers offer free/paid checks from multiple locations.
• Status Page tools - run free uptime, SSL, DNS and email checks from our website monitoring tools.

What else to check

• DNS TTL and recent changes - incorrect or half-propagated DNS records often cause “site is down” errors.
• SSL certificate validity - expired certs cause browsers to refuse connections.
• Rate limits / WAF rules - some protection layers block legitimate traffic.
• Hosting provider status pages - your provider may be experiencing a wider outage that affects multiple customers.

Manual checks vs automated uptime monitoring

Doing these checks manually works in a pinch, but it's slow and easy to forget. If you run a website or API, you want automation: uptime checks from multiple regions, instant alerts to your team, and a public status page so visitors can see what's happening without opening a ticket.

Automate for free with Status Page

Status Page runs checks for you, shows historical uptime, and notifies your team when something breaks. You can start for free – it saves time and keeps your users informed. Perfect for site owners who want reliable monitoring and clear incident communication without ops overhead.

Interested? See plans & get started - or create a free account to try automated checks right away.