Policy
Our methodology separates direct observations from inference, assigns confidence to provider detection, and explains the limitations of every public diagnostic.
- confirmed evidence first
- cross-check related signals
- rank likely causes
- never claim a hidden origin host behind a CDN
Observation before inference
A DNS answer, certificate hostname, HTTP status or missing MX record can be directly observed. A statement about why it changed is an inference. Reports keep those categories separate and only raise confidence when multiple independent signals support the same explanation.
Cross-checking related layers
The combined scan compares root and www, IPv4 and IPv6, public recursive and authoritative DNS, HTTP and HTTPS, certificate coverage, redirect behavior, email DNS and crawler directives. This allows a failure in one layer to be interpreted in context rather than as an isolated red or green badge.
Provider detection
A public IP can identify a CDN or edge network without revealing the protected origin. Cloudflare and similar proxies are therefore labeled as edge infrastructure when appropriate. A hosting company is never promoted from a weak signature to a confirmed origin host.
Limitations and corrections
Split-horizon DNS, private account settings, transient routing, SMTP egress filtering and unpublished provider state can make a public check incomplete. Inconclusive results stay labeled as such. Methodology or factual errors can be corrected through the editorial correction process.
Technical references
These primary standards and provider documents are used to verify the behavior described on this page. Provider dashboards can change, so use the current official value for tenant-specific DNS records rather than copying an example from another account.