Lookup

Ping

Test server availability and network latency with ICMP ping or a TCP connection to port 443 or 80.

Method

About this tool

Ping checks whether a server is reachable from the internet and measures how fast it responds. ICMP ping sends classic echo request packets, just like the ping command in a terminal. Because many servers and firewalls block ICMP, the tool can also measure TCP ping - the time to open a connection to port 443 (HTTPS) or 80 (HTTP). The result shows the number of replies, packet loss, minimum, average and maximum latency, jitter and TTL.

Glossary

Ping (ICMP)
Sends short ICMP echo messages to a server and measures how long the reply takes. Some servers block ICMP for security reasons.
TCP ping
Instead of ICMP it opens a connection to port 443 or 80 and measures how long it takes. Works even where ICMP is blocked.
Latency
The round-trip time of a packet to the server and back in milliseconds. Within Europe it is usually 10 to 50 ms, across an ocean 100 ms or more.
Packet loss
The share of attempts that got no reply. Persistent loss above a few percent indicates an overloaded or faulty line.
Jitter
Variation of latency between attempts. High jitter mostly hurts calls, video calls and online games.
TTL
A counter in the packet that every router on the way decreases by one. The remaining value hints at the number of hops and the server system (64 Linux, 128 Windows).
Traceroute
Shows the path of a packet through individual routers to the destination. Helps find where packets get lost or latency grows.

How to use

  1. 1Enter a domain, URL or IP address.
  2. 2Choose a method - ICMP ping, or TCP port 443 or 80 if the server blocks ICMP.
  3. 3Click Run ping.
  4. 4Check the number of replies, packet loss and latency.
  5. 5If there are problems, review the findings and check the domain's DNS records.

Specifications and limits

The ping runs from our server, so the latency reflects the path from the data center to the target server, not from your computer. 4 probes are sent, ICMP one per second, TCP with a 2.5 s timeout per probe. For a domain the first IPv4 address is used, IPv6 only when there is no IPv4. Internal and private addresses are blocked. The limit is 20 queries per minute.