Question 1

How can I tell if a website is down?

Accepted Answer

Paste the URL and the checker tries to reach it. A 2xx response means it's up. A timeout or connection error means it's unreachable from the checking server — which is usually 'down', but occasionally it just means the site is blocking that region or the check traffic.

Question 2

What do the HTTP status codes actually mean?

Accepted Answer

200 is the normal 'worked'. 301 and 308 are permanent redirects, 302 and 307 are temporary. 404 means the page isn't there. 403 means it's there but you're not allowed. 500/502/503 are server problems. Seeing the number beats guessing from a generic browser error page.

Question 3

Can I use this to check if a link is safe?

Accepted Answer

Not really. The checker only tells you whether the URL is reachable and what it returns. For phishing and malware detection, cross-check with Google Safe Browsing or VirusTotal — a 200 response doesn't mean the page is honest.

Question 4

Does it follow redirects?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You'll see both the original status and the final URL after the redirect chain resolves. That's how you catch things like 'the old link silently forwards to a sketchy domain' without actually clicking through.

Question 5

Why does a URL that works in my browser fail here?

Accepted Answer

Usually one of three things: the site blocks non-browser user agents, it requires specific cookies or geo, or it's only reachable over a VPN. A failed check isn't proof the URL is broken — just that it doesn't respond to a plain request.

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