Diagnostic guides
Practical guides for website, DNS, SSL, and network diagnostics
This guide library supports the tools instead of distracting from them. Use it to choose the right check, interpret the output correctly, and avoid overstating what one or two server-side locations can really prove.
Workflow-first
Pages are organized around real troubleshooting decisions such as “is the site actually down?”, “what does this warning mean?”, and “which tool should I open next?”
Written for diagnostics
The content stays focused on website checks, SSL, DNS, ports, ping, traceroute, and the honest limits of public diagnostics from one or two server-side locations.
Connected to the product
Every guide points back to the relevant tools and related explanations so readers can move from reading to action in one click.
01
Start with the guide that matches your question
Each page has a different job: workflow, result interpretation, terminology, comparison, or methodology.
Downtime workflow
How to check if a website is down
Use a clean workflow to tell the difference between a real website outage, a DNS issue, an SSL failure, a closed port, or a response that is technically online but still broken.
Result interpretation
How to read website check results
Learn how to interpret website check output in the right order, including status, redirect chain, timings, headers, resolved IPs, warnings, and the difference between an application problem and a network failure.
TLS and certificate trust
SSL errors explained
Understand the SSL and TLS problems that usually appear in diagnostics, including expired certificates, hostname mismatch, self-signed chains, protocol issues, and what each failure means for real users.
DNS terminology
DNS records explained
Understand what common DNS records mean in diagnostics, including A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CAA, and PTR, plus how to interpret real lookup results without overreading them.
Tool comparison
Ping vs Traceroute vs Port Checker vs Website Checker
Choose the right diagnostics tool for the symptom you have by understanding what ping, traceroute, port checks, and website checks actually prove and what they do not prove.
Methodology and trust
How Gitae compares websites from Russia and Finland
Learn what Gitae can honestly prove from two public server locations, why results can vary by routing or policy, and where single-result tools still make more sense.
Failure patterns
Common website availability problems explained
Learn the common layers behind website availability incidents, from DNS mistakes and SSL trust failures to closed ports, overloaded applications, and route-specific problems.
HTTP interpretation
What HTTP status codes mean in diagnostics
Understand how HTTP status codes should be interpreted in website diagnostics, including redirects, client errors, server errors, and the difference between a real response and a lower-layer failure.
Client IP basics
What your public IP means
Learn what a public IP really represents, why one server can see a different address than another, and how to use a server-side What Is My IP result without overinterpreting it.
All tools
Prefer to start from a tool instead?
Jump straight into a live check and use the guides when the result needs interpretation.
Run a full website report with one combined verdict plus Russia and Finland results for DNS timing, TCP connect time, TLS handshake time, TTFB, redirect chain, final URL, response headers, and resolved IP addresses.
DNS & NamesDNS LookupQuery A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CAA, and PTR records with normalized output, raw resolver views, clear empty states, and two-location comparison where resolver-sensitive answers matter.
Website & SSLSSL CheckerInspect the certificate issuer, subject, SAN names, expiration, hostname matching, chain summary, and visible TLS protocol support from Russia and Finland.
Network PathPort CheckerTest whether a public TCP port is open, refused, timed out, or otherwise unreachable from Russia and Finland, with explicit latency and attempt details.
Network PathPingRun a bounded server-side ping from Russia and Finland, with packet loss, sample latencies, and average round-trip time when available.
Network PathTracerouteTrace the visible network path from Russia and Finland to a public host or IP with hop timing, timeout handling, and the raw traceroute output.