The checklist: down for everyone, or just you?
- Another network: switch to mobile data. If it loads now, the problem is your own connection.
- Status code: run
curl -I https://yoursite.com. 200/301/302 = server alive. 500/502/503 = real outage. Timeout = host or DNS issue. - DNS: run
nslookup yoursite.comand compare with the IP your host documents. A mismatch means DNS, not downtime. - Host status page: major hosts publish incidents publicly — check there before debugging blindly.
$ curl -I https://yoursite.com HTTP/2 503 # down for everyone — call your host HTTP/2 200 # up from here → the problem is local
The problem with checking manually
A single check answers "is it down now". But customers ask a different question: "when was it down, and for how long?" A site that flickers for two minutes at 3 AM never gets noticed manually — except by the customers who tried to buy.
The fix is monitoring that runs itself: a short interval, a notification when the response fails, and history you can inspect afterwards. DeskUptime does exactly that from your menu bar — no cloud account, no monthly fee:
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a website is down?
Try it on another network (mobile data). If it works there, the problem is local. If not, check your host's status page or use a tool that probes the site externally — such as DeskUptime, which runs on your own machine.
Why does a site work for others but not for me?
Common causes: a stale local DNS cache, ISP routing problems, VPN/corporate firewalls blocking the domain, or cached content. Flush your DNS cache and try a private window first.
Can I check if a site is down without installing anything?
Yes — run curl -I https://example.com in a terminal. A 200 means the server is up; 5xx means a real server error; a timeout suggests hosting or DNS trouble. But manual checks only answer 'is it down right now' — automatic alerts need monitoring software.
What's the cheapest way to get alerted when my site goes down?
A desktop app like DeskUptime runs locally and notifies you on your machine — a one-time cost instead of the typical $10–30/month cloud services charge. For mission-critical production sites, keep an external service as backup coverage.