A hosting and maintenance client recently reached out after seeing a “Site can’t be reached” error with the message DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN. While that sounds serious, the website was up and running for us and online according to external uptime tools.
Cause
This type of error usually points to a temporary DNS or networking issue. In most cases, it’s not that the site is truly down — but rather that the browser can’t resolve the domain name to an IP address quickly enough. Common reasons include:
- Local DNS cache issues
- ISP or regional DNS problems
- A short network hiccup between your browser and the hosting server
Server Load as a Contributing Factor
We also noticed that the server was experiencing higher-than-usual load during that time. While the site stayed up, the increased demand may have caused brief slowdowns or missed responses — enough to trigger browser errors or uptime alerts.
Digging deeper, we traced the spike to a burst of bot traffic, which overwhelmed logging processes and created delays in how Apache was handling requests. The server wasn’t failing, but under enough pressure, even small delays can trigger false “site down” messages.
We’re actively monitoring performance, tightening up bot filtering, and reviewing Apache’s logging configuration to prevent this from happening again.
What to Do if You See This Error:
If your browser can’t reach a site, try the following before assuming it’s down:
- Refresh the page or try a different browser
- Restart your modem/router
- Clear your DNS cache
- Try Google DNS (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1)
- Check downforeveryoneorjustme.com to see if the issue is widespread
- Check withy your host for server load issues
Takeaway
Not all downtime alerts mean a site is truly down. DNS issues and short server spikes can cause momentary outages that resolve themselves quickly. If you’re ever unsure, we’re happy to check from our end and help you troubleshoot.
Need help debugging something like this?
That’s what we do — from subtle tweaks to full-scale support. Explore our support plans →
