DOCS-1: Init document work
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Blake Ridgway
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content/privacy/arcline-check-walkthrough.md
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content/privacy/arcline-check-walkthrough.md
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title: "How to Check if Your Host is Self-Hosted"
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description: "Use arcline-check to detect whether a website is truly self-hosted or routed through a CDN/cloud provider."
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section: privacy
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order: 2
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---
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# How to Check if Your Host is Self-Hosted
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The `arcline-check` tool tells you whether a domain is truly self-hosted or routing through Cloudflare, Fastly, AWS CloudFront, or another CDN/cloud provider.
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---
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## What arcline-check does
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When you run `arcline-check example.com`, it:
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1. Resolves the domain to its IP address
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2. Performs a reverse DNS lookup (PTR record)
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3. Looks up the ASN (Autonomous System Number) and organization
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4. Checks whether the IP falls within known CDN/cloud provider CIDR ranges
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5. Inspects HTTP response headers for CDN signatures (CF-Ray, X-Served-By, etc.)
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6. Produces a color-coded terminal report
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This is especially useful for:
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- Evaluating potential hosting providers during migration
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- Verifying a host's claims about being "self-hosted"
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- Understanding your own site's infrastructure
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---
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## Installation
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```bash
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# Download the latest binary
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wget https://git.arcline.it/arcline/arcline-check/releases/latest/download/arcline-check-linux-amd64
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# Make it executable
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chmod +x arcline-check-linux-amd64
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# Move to your PATH
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sudo mv arcline-check-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/arcline-check
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```
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Or build from source:
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```bash
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git clone https://git.arcline.it/arcline/arcline-check.git
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cd arcline-check
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go build -o arcline-check .
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```
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---
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## Basic usage
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```bash
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arcline-check arcline.it
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```
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Example output:
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```
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domain arcline.it
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resolved 203.0.113.42
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rdns server1.arclineit.com
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asn AS64496 Example ISP
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org Example ISP LLC
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[OK] not behind a known CDN
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[OK] no Cloudflare headers detected
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[OK] IP not in AWS/GCP/Azure ranges
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```
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---
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## Checking a site behind Cloudflare
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```bash
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arcline-check example-cloudflare-site.com
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```
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Example output:
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```
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domain example-cloudflare-site.com
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resolved 104.16.42.42
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rdns 104.16.42.42 (no PTR)
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asn AS13335 Cloudflare, Inc.
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org Cloudflare
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[FAIL] behind Cloudflare (CDN)
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[FAIL] CF-Ray header detected
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[FAIL] IP in Cloudflare CIDR range
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```
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---
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## JSON output for scripting
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```bash
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arcline-check example.com --json
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```
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```json
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{
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"domain": "example.com",
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"ip": "203.0.113.42",
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"rdns": "server1.arclineit.com",
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"asn": "AS64496",
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"org": "Example ISP LLC",
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"cdn_detected": false,
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"headers": {
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"server": "nginx/1.24.0"
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}
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}
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```
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---
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## Watch mode for DNS migration monitoring
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During a DNS migration, use `--watch` to see when propagation completes:
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```bash
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arcline-check example.com --watch 30
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```
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This re-checks every 30 seconds. When the IP changes from the old provider to the new one, the output updates in place.
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---
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## Interpreting the results
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| Indicator | What it means |
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|-----------|---------------|
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| **IP in Cloudflare range** | The site is behind Cloudflare's proxy (orange cloud) |
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| **CF-Ray header** | Cloudflare is terminating the connection |
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| **IP in AWS/GCP/Azure range** | The server is a cloud VM, not self-hosted hardware |
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| **IP in a residential/business ISP range** | Likely self-hosted (on-premises or colocated) |
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| **PTR matches domain** | Good operational practice — the host configured rDNS |
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| **No CDN detected** | Traffic goes directly to the origin server |
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---
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## Limitations
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- A CDN-detected result doesn't always mean bad hosting — some providers use CDNs for legitimate DDoS protection
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- Arcline doesn't use any CDN by default, but customers are free to add one if they choose
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- The tool can't detect every possible CDN or proxy — new providers are added regularly
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- If a site uses Cloudflare spectrum or TCP tunnels, it may appear self-hosted even though Cloudflare is involved
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---
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## What's next
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- [Self-hosting without a CDN: performance tips](/privacy/self-hosting-performance/)
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- [Why you shouldn't put Cloudflare in front of everything](/privacy/why-not-cloudflare/)
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- [What SPF, DKIM, and DMARC actually do](/privacy/spf-dkim-dmarc/)
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