Infrastructure
· 9 checks — DNS, redirects, IPv6, crawlability, URL variants, and domain intelligence rolled into one auditable list.DCDN & DeliveryActionNo CDN detectedFIX
Consider using a CDN to improve global delivery speed and reduce origin load.
BDNS Records1 A records, 137 ms lookupREVIEW
| A | 151.101.93.111 |
| AAAA | 2a04:4e42:16::367 |
| CNAME | dualstack.guardian.map.fastly.net |
| NS | — |
| MX | — |
| TXT | — |
| CAA | Lookup not available with standard resolver |
Multiple A records provide failover if one server goes down.
Single A record means a single point of failure — if that IP goes down, your site is unreachable until DNS TTL expires.
Learn more ▾ ▴
Add multiple A records for round-robin failover, or use a managed DNS provider with health-checked failover (Route 53, Cloudflare, NS1). Short TTL (60-300s) lets clients recover faster on outages.
Source: SRE practice / DNS architecture
A CNAME at the zone apex can break MX and NS records. Use ALIAS/ANAME or A records instead.
CNAME at the apex (example.com) breaks every other apex record (MX, TXT, NS) — DNS-protocol violation per RFC 1034.
Learn more ▾ ▴
RFC 1034 forbids CNAME alongside other records at the same name. Some DNS providers offer ALIAS / ANAME / flattened-CNAME records that work around this — use those instead. Otherwise apex-level CNAME breaks email (no MX), domain ownership verification (no TXT), and more.
Source: RFC 1034
CAA record lookup requires a specialized DNS resolver. This check will be available in a future update.
Informational: CAA (Certification Authority Authorization) records weren't checked in this scan.
SPF helps prevent email spoofing. Add a TXT record starting with 'v=spf1'.
Without SPF, receiving servers can't validate sending IPs — your domain is easier to spoof in phishing.
Learn more ▾ ▴
SPF complements DMARC. Both should be published. SPF records list authorized sending IPs (e.g., `v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all` for Google Workspace). After publishing, verify in Google Postmaster Tools or mxtoolbox.
Source: RFC 7208 (SPF)
BTLS Certificate Expiry & Recommendations217 days until leaf cert expires — 3 issues to addressREVIEW
Certificate validity
Recommended actions
- Submit your domain to hstspreload.org to be added to the Chrome preload list
- Enable DNSSEC on your domain for DNS spoofing protection
- Enable OCSP stapling on your TLS server to remove a CA roundtrip and protect user privacy
ARedirect Chain1 redirect(s), 49 ms totalPASS
https://www.theguardian.com
13 ms · HTTP/1.1
https://www.theguardian.com/internationa...
36 ms · HTTP/1.1 FINAL
| # | URL | Status | Time | Protocol | Server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | https://www.theguardian.com | 302 | 13 ms | HTTP/1.1 | |
| 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/internationa... | 200 | 36 ms | HTTP/1.1 |
See the visual redirect chain in the HTTP Probe tab →
If permanent, use 301 instead.
302 (Found) is for genuinely temporary redirects — if this redirect is permanent, switch to 301 to preserve SEO equity.
Learn more ▾ ▴
Search engines treat 302 as temporary, keeping the original URL indexed and not transferring full link equity to the destination. Use 301 (Moved Permanently) for permanent redirects (HTTP→HTTPS, www-vs-non-www, URL restructures).
Source: Google Search Central
A+IPv6 ReadinessIPv6 reachable (1 ms)PASS
A+Crawlabilityrobots.txt present, sitemap with 416 URLsPASS
# This is the robots.txt file for theguardian.com
# Guardian content is made available under our terms and conditions of use.
# Any other uses are not permitted, incl. but not limited to: for large language
# models (LLMs), machine learning and/or artificial intelligence-related
# purposes; with any of the aforementioned technologies; and/or for any
# commercial purposes. Contact licensing@theguardian.com for assistance
User-agent: *
Disallow: /sendarticle/
Disallow: /Users/
Disallow: /users/
Disallow: /*/print$
Disallow: /email/
Disallow: /contactus/
Disallow: /share/
Disallow: /websearch
Disallow: /*?commentpage=
Disallow: /whsmiths/
Disallow: /external/overture/
Disallow: /discussion/report-abuse/*
Disallow: /discussion/report-abuse-ajax/*
Disallow: /discussion/comment-permalink/*
Disallow: /discussion/report-abuse/*
Disallow: /discussion/user-report-abuse/*
Disallow: /discussion/handlers/*
Disallow: /discussion/your-profile
Disallow: /discussion/your-comments
Disallow: /discussion/edit-profile
Disallow: /discussion/search/comments
Disallow: /discussion/*
Disallow: /search
Disallow: /music/artist/*
Disallow: /music/album/*
Disallow: /books/data/*
Disallow: /settings/
Disallow: /embed/
Disallow: /*styles/js-on.css$
Disallow: /sport/olympics/2008/events/*
Disallow: /sport/olympics/2008/medals/*
Disallow: /f/healthcheck
Disallow: /sections
Disallow: /top-stories
Disallow: /most-read/sport
Disallow: /articles
Disallow: /global$
Disallow: /*/feedarticle/*
Disallow: /travel/2013/aug/22/been-there-readers-competition?*
Disallow: /preference/*
Disallow: /59666047/
Disallow: /print/
Disallow: /info/tech-feedback
Disallow: /production-monitoring/
Disallow: *.emailjson
Disallow: *.emailtxt
Disallow: /headline.txt
Disallow: *?*dcr=apps*
User-agent: Mediapartners-Google
Disallow:
Sitemap: http://www.theguardian.com/sitemaps/news.xml
Sitemap: http://www.theguardian.com/sitemaps/video.xml
User-agent: NewsNow
User-agent: CCBot
User-agent: TurnitinBot
User-agent: PetalBot
User-agent: MoodleBot
User-agent: FacebookBot
User-agent: Bytespider
User-agent: Mojeek
User-agent: JenkersBot
User-agent: Seekr
User-agent: YouBot
User-agent: Arquivo-web-crawler
User-agent: coccocbot-web
User-agent: SeznamBot
User-Agent: PerplexityBot
User-Agent: yacy
User-agent: anthropic-ai
User-agent: ClaudeBot
User-agent: Claude-SearchBot
User-agent: Claude-User
User-agent: AwarioRssBot
User-agent: AwarioSmartBot
User-agent: SentiOne
User-agent: ImageSift
User-agent: Applebot-Extended
User-agent: YandexAdditional
User-agent: YandexAdditionalBot
User-agent: scalepostAI
User-agent: Buck
User-agent: meta-externalagent
User-agent: Amazonbot
User-agent: DuckAssistBot
User-agent: Google-CloudVertexBot
User-agent: Amzn-SearchBot
Disallow: /
License: https://theguardian.com/license.xml
- https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/apr/04/chelsea-v-port-vale-fa-cup-quarter-final-live
- https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e2abf49d44adff790012dd3da9b666dcf247b551/190_0_4490_3592/master/4490.jpg?width=1200&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c70627502e8f87360e75c90453815ca8
- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/apr/04/county-cricket-day-two-somerset-v-notts-leicestershire-v-sussex-and-more-live
- https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f6b813226695f97a5c48f3b5d3340ba5a1634812/299_0_2520_2017/master/2520.jpg?width=1200&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ca3a59dad40c98235179414348f86d1a
- https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/apr/04/arne-slot-liverpool-fighting-spirit-fa-cup-exit-manchester-city
A+URL Variantswww/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPSPASS
www / non-www
Preferred variant: www
HTTP → HTTPS
Consistent
A+Domain Intelligencetheguardian.com — via GoDaddy.com, LLC, 32 years, 2 months oldPASS
19 days
July 5, 2026
217 days
Issued by GlobalSign nv-sa
32 years, 2 months
Registered July 6, 1994
Not enabled
Protects against DNS spoofing
Unknown
2a04:4e42::367
GoDaddy.com, LLC
Expiry timeline
Recommended actions
- Renew the domain or enable auto-renewal to prevent accidental expiry
- Enable DNSSEC to protect visitors from DNS spoofing
DNSSEC protects against DNS spoofing attacks. While not required, enabling DNSSEC adds an additional layer of security. Contact your DNS provider to enable it.
Without DNSSEC, an attacker who can poison your DNS can hijack your domain — and SSL certs alone don't stop them.
Learn more ▾ ▴
DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to DNS records, preventing forged responses from poisoning resolver caches. Without it, an attacker who controls the network path can redirect your domain to a malicious server before any HTTPS handshake happens. Most modern registrars (Cloudflare, Google Domains, Route 53) enable it with one toggle.
Source: ICANN / RFC 4033