Is it down for everyone or just me?

Website not loading? Type its address and press Check. FernTool’s server tries to open it from outside your network, and your own browser tries too, so you know straight away whether it’s down for everyone or just you.

Popular: google.com · youtube.com · whatsapp.com · netflix.com · takealot.com · fnb.co.za · capitecbank.co.za · sars.gov.za

{
  "ok": true,
  "url": "https://takealot.com/",
  "host": "takealot.com",
  "checked_from": {
    "colo": "CMH",
    "city": null
  },
  "checked_at": "2026-11-11T14:59:09.935Z",
  "checked_url": "https://takealot.com/",
  "dns": {
    "status": "ok",
    "ips": [
      "104.16.71.64",
      "104.16.72.64",
      "2606:4700::6810:4740",
      "2606:4700::6810:4840"
    ]
  },
  "http_status": 200,
  "status_text": "OK",
  "response_ms": 146,
  "final_url": "https://www.takealot.com/",
  "error": null,
  "verdict": "up",
  "reason": "ok",
  "headline": "It’s up. The website answered in 0.15 s.",
  "server_location": {
    "ip": "104.16.71.64",
    "country": "CA",
    "country_name": "Canada",
    "network": "CLOUDFLARENET - Cloudflare, Inc.",
    "asn": 13335,
    "cdn": "Cloudflare"
  }
}

Is it down in South Africa? Banks, SARS, Takealot, fibre

Press a name to check it right now (same one-button check as above):

Bank down? Websites, apps, card machines and EFTs run on different systems, so the website can be up while the app or card payments fail (and the other way round). Look at the bank’s app notices or official social media. Never log in through a link sent by SMS, WhatsApp or email “because of an outage”: that’s a common scam. Unsure about a link? Check it with Is this website legit?

Everything down, not just one site? Then it’s probably your connection or load shedding at a tower or street cabinet. Run the speed test, check that sites open on mobile data, and see South African ISPs for who to call (your ISP for the service, the fibre network such as Openserve or Vumatel for the line). Only one site failing with “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN”? Look up its records with the DNS lookup.

If it’s down for everyone

Wait. The problem is at the website, and only its owners can fix it. Big sites usually recover within minutes to an hour; their official status page or social media account often says what’s wrong. For AI services see Is ChatGPT down?, Is Claude down? and Is Gemini down?.

If it’s just you: fixes that usually work

1. Try another device or mobile data. If it works on mobile data, the problem is your Wi-Fi, router or home ISP.
2. Restart your router (unplug for 30 seconds).
3. Turn off your VPN, proxy or ad blocker and try again. Some sites block VPN servers.
4. Flush your DNS cache, especially if you see “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN” (full fix).
5. Change your DNS to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 (on your router or on Windows), in case your ISP’s DNS is having a bad day.
6. Check your own connection with the speed test and ping test.

What the results mean

HTTP 200–399

Working normally (3xx means it redirected you somewhere, which is normal).

HTTP 401, 403, 429

The server is up but turned our robot away. Many big sites do this; it still works for people.

HTTP 404

The site is up, but that exact page doesn’t exist.

HTTP 500, 502, 503, 504

The site’s server is broken or overloaded. Down for everyone.

HTTP 520–530

Cloudflare is in front of the site but can’t reach the real server behind it. Down for everyone.

Timed out / couldn’t connect

No answer at all within 10 seconds. Usually down, occasionally blocked in one region.

Domain not found

The name doesn’t exist in DNS: a typo, or the domain expired.

Honest limits

Each check runs from one Cloudflare data centre (normally the one closest to you) and loads only the address you typed, not every feature of the site. A site can be up on the homepage while its login, app or payments are broken, and an outage in one country might not show from another. The “from your device” test needs JavaScript and can be blocked by ad blockers or strict privacy settings, which could make it look like it’s just you. Results are kept for 30 seconds so busy sites aren’t hammered.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if a website is down for everyone or just me?

Type the address above and press Check. Our server loads the site from outside your network, and your own browser tries it too. If our server reaches it but your device can’t, the problem is on your side (Wi-Fi, DNS, VPN, ad blocker or your ISP). If neither can, it’s down for everyone.

What should I do if a site is down only for me?

Restart your router, try mobile data, turn off any VPN or ad blocker, and flush your DNS cache. If it works on mobile data but not on Wi-Fi, switch your router to a public DNS such as 1.1.1.1 or contact your ISP.

What does error 503 or 502 mean?

The website’s server, or the system in front of it, is overloaded or broken. It isn’t your connection. Wait a few minutes and try again.

Why does the check say the site is up, but it won’t load for me?

The site is working, so something between you and it is failing: your DNS, a VPN, a firewall, a browser extension or your ISP. Many sites also block whole countries or VPN servers.

How do I check if FNB, Capitec, Absa, Standard Bank or Nedbank is down?

Type the bank’s website (for example fnb.co.za or capitecbank.co.za) above and press Check. If our server and your device can both open it, the website is up; a broken banking app or card payments can still be down, so also check the bank’s app notices and official social media. Never log in through a link someone sends you during an “outage”: scammers use outages to send fake bank pages.

Is SARS eFiling down?

Check sarsefiling.co.za above. eFiling often slows down near filing deadlines and has planned maintenance, usually announced on sars.gov.za and SARS’s official social media. If the site is up but you can’t log in, clear your browser cache, try another browser or use the SARS MobiApp.

Is it my internet (Openserve, Vumatel, Vodacom, MTN) or the website?

If lots of different websites won’t load, the problem is your connection, not the sites. Run a speed test, check your fibre box (ONT) lights, and try mobile data. Our South African ISP pages explain who to call: your ISP for the internet service, or the fibre network (Openserve, Vumatel and others) for a broken line.

Does this check every country?

No. One check runs from one Cloudflare data centre (shown in the result), plus your own browser. A site can be down in one region and up in another, so a regional outage may not show here.

Related tools and guides

• Where does this link go? (check a short or suspicious link)
• Fix “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN”
• How to flush your DNS cache
• DNS lookup
• DNS propagation checker
• Ping test (is my own connection OK?)
• Internet speed test
• WHOIS (has the domain expired?)
• South African ISPs and fibre networks (who to call)
• Is Openserve down? Fibre line checks
• Vodacom: mobile data or the website?
• Is this website legit? (fake bank and shop sites)
• Is ChatGPT down?
• Is Claude down?

API: GET /api/is-it-down?url=example.com · MCP tool check_website_status.