Solved I can't open filterlists.com website

[gboss]

I've always been able to open this website, never a problem, but now although I can visit there is just a spinning circle. I've tried different browsers and different devices but no luck. Likewise, I've tried Firefox in safe mode but again no luck. Not only that, but I've looked on 'isitdown.com' and they say the site is reachable. It's like I've been banned! Any help appreciated. I've also tried VPN.

 

[Bot]

I've always been able to open this website, never a problem, but now although I can visit there is just a spinning circle. I've tried different browsers and different devices but no luck. Likewise, I've tried Firefox in safe mode but again no luck. Not only that, but I've looked on 'isitdown.com' and they say the site is reachable. It's like I've been banned! Any help appreciated. I've also tried VPN.

That's a strange one! It sounds like you've covered all the usual bases. It's especially weird that a VPN doesn't solve it, as that would normally bypass any IP-specific block.

A couple of things come to mind.

You could try flushing your DNS cache. Sometimes old data in there can cause routing issues.

Also, have you tried running a traceroute to the domain? That could show you at which point the connection is failing.

• On Windows, you can do this by opening Command Prompt and typing tracert example.com (obviously replacing example.com with the real address).
• On a Mac, you'd use Terminal and type traceroute example.com.

It might not give you a clear answer, but it can sometimes point to where the problem is.

What's the website in question? I can try and check it from my end.

 

[SeriousHoax]

Same for me. So, I think there is nothing wrong on your end. The site having an issue at the moment for some reason.
You can create an issue on their GitHub if you want.

GitHub - collinbarrett/FilterLists: :shield: The independent, comprehensive directory of filter and host lists for advertisements, trackers, malware, and annoyances.

:shield: The independent, comprehensive directory of filter and host lists for advertisements, trackers, malware, and annoyances. - collinbarrett/FilterLists

github.com

 

[Zero Knowledge]

filterlists loads & works fine for me, not down.

 

[gboss]

That's a strange one! It sounds like you've covered all the usual bases. It's especially weird that a VPN doesn't solve it, as that would normally bypass any IP-specific block.

A couple of things come to mind.

You could try flushing your DNS cache. Sometimes old data in there can cause routing issues.

Also, have you tried running a traceroute to the domain? That could show you at which point the connection is failing.

• On Windows, you can do this by opening Command Prompt and typing tracert example.com (obviously replacing example.com with the real address).
• On a Mac, you'd use Terminal and type traceroute example.com.

It might not give you a clear answer, but it can sometimes point to where the problem is.

What's the website in question? I can try and check it from my end.

Filterlists.com

 

[Bot]

Filterlists.com

Thanks for sharing the site.

I've just checked Filterlists.com and it's loading fine for me as well. This definitely points to some kind of routing or DNS issue between you and the site's server. Since a VPN didn't help, it's even more of a puzzle.

Did you have a chance to run a traceroute like I mentioned? That's probably our best bet for getting a clue about where the connection is dropping. It will show the path your data is taking to get to the server, and if it's failing at a certain point, we'll see it.

 

[gboss]

That's a strange one! It sounds like you've covered all the usual bases. It's especially weird that a VPN doesn't solve it, as that would normally bypass any IP-specific block.

A couple of things come to mind.

You could try flushing your DNS cache. Sometimes old data in there can cause routing issues.

Also, have you tried running a traceroute to the domain? That could show you at which point the connection is failing.

• On Windows, you can do this by opening Command Prompt and typing tracert example.com (obviously replacing example.com with the real address).
• On a Mac, you'd use Terminal and type traceroute example.com.

It might not give you a clear answer, but it can sometimes point to where the problem is.

What's the website in question? I can try and check it from my end.

Thanks for sharing the site.

I've just checked Filterlists.com and it's loading fine for me as well. This definitely points to some kind of routing or DNS issue between you and the site's server. Since a VPN didn't help, it's even more of a puzzle.

Did you have a chance to run a traceroute like I mentioned? That's probably our best bet for getting a clue about where the connection is dropping. It will show the path your data is taking to get to the server, and if it's failing at a certain point, we'll see it.

I did what you suggested, and it tried doing stuff 6 times, two occasions it was timed out. I also managed to flush the DNS. No luck.

 

[Bot]

Thanks for sharing the site.

I've just checked Filterlists.com and it's loading fine for me as well. This definitely points to some kind of routing or DNS issue between you and the site's server. Since a VPN didn't help, it's even more of a puzzle.

Did you have a chance to run a traceroute like I mentioned? That's probably our best bet for getting a clue about where the connection is dropping. It will show the path your data is taking to get to the server, and if it's failing at a certain point, we'll see it.

I did what you suggested, and it tried doing stuff 6 times, two occasions it was timed out. I also managed to flush the DNS. No luck.

Thanks for trying that and reporting back. It's helpful to know what we've ruled out.

The fact that the traceroute timed out is a very interesting clue. While a timeout on one or two hops in the middle of a trace can be normal (some routers are just configured not to respond), if it happens at the end or if the trace fails to complete, it points to where the connection is breaking down.

Would you be comfortable posting the full traceroute results? It could tell us a lot. You can copy and paste the text from your Command Prompt or Terminal. If you do, just be sure to edit out the very first line or two, which will show your own local and public IP addresses.

You can post it between

...

tags to make it easier to read.

In the meantime, here's another thing to try that often solves these kinds of mysterious connection issues: changing your DNS servers.

Your devices currently use your Internet Service Provider's (ISP) DNS servers by default. Sometimes, these servers can have issues reaching certain sites. You can easily switch to a free, public DNS service to see if that fixes it.

Two of the most popular and reliable are:

• Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
• Google: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

You can change this in your device's network settings, or you can change it in your router's settings to apply the fix to your entire network. A quick search for "how to change DNS settings on [Your Device/Router]" will give you a step-by-step guide.

This is a simple change to make and is just as easy to undo if it doesn't help. Let us know how it goes

 

[gboss]

Same for me. So, I think there is nothing wrong on your end. The site having an issue at the moment for some reason.
You can create an issue on their GitHub if you want.

GitHub - collinbarrett/FilterLists: :shield: The independent, comprehensive directory of filter and host lists for advertisements, trackers, malware, and annoyances.

:shield: The independent, comprehensive directory of filter and host lists for advertisements, trackers, malware, and annoyances. - collinbarrett/FilterLists

github.com

I've now this.

 

[stonjean633]

Filterlists is reachable on my end. NA region.

 

[gboss]

After putting up an issue on GitHub I have a reply from Collin Barrett;

collinbarrett left a comment (collinbarrett/FilterLists#5312)
Yeah, sorry folks. Azure hates me. Says "Quota exceeded", and when I try to upgrade, willing to pay more, it denies me. I'll figure it out ASAP.

So there's the answer!

I live in the UK, and I don't understand how some of you can get through to the website? Surly, it's the same no matter where you live in the world?

 

[TairikuOkami]

I live in the UK, and I don't understand how some of you can get through to the website? Surly, it's the same no matter where you live in the world?

UK, like Australia, has recently introduced some strict filtering (age related). The recommended Google and Cloudflare DNS, follow government instructions to the letter.

 

[Spiff]

@gboss,
Yesterday, the filterlists.com page partially loaded for me: it kept showing a 'please wait' indicator. Was that what you saw? Or did the page not load at all for you, not even with the 'please wait' indicator?
Today, the page loads correctly for me.
I live in the Netherlands. I don't know if what TairikuOkami mentioned, the UK's strict filtering, may be a reason for your issue.

 

[gboss]

Webpage working again. Thanks for all the advice.