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Website failing to load

The website https://gamesack.net  fails to load when using NextDNS. Turning off the service causes the website to load properly which means it's an issue with the service. I've tried whitelisting it, but it wasn't blocked in the first place. It seems like there's a routing issue somewhere along NextDNS's service that's causing it.

17 replies

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    • Calvin_Hobbes
    • 12 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Logs are your friend.  The main site might not be blocked, but it undoubtedly calls other domains.   Look at your logs to see what is logged immediately after the main site.   NextDNS does not affect the routing between you and the target.

      • Cradal
      • 12 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Oh, thank you. Would you mind elaborating a bit? How does it call other domains? It seems to me like the initial request is blocked, so how do other domains get involved? I'm obviously misunderstanding something :)

      • Shentok
      • 12 days ago
      • Reported - view

       There's nothing getting blocked in the logs from the time I access the site until it fails so I don't know where to go from here. It happens regardless of browser, device, or OS as well. The only time the page loads is when I turn off NextDNS.

      • Calvin_Hobbes
      • 12 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Most websites load resources from several other domains.   If open just about any website then look in the logs, you will see many other FQDNs being looked up after the initial website loads.   It's not uncommon for some of those to be blocked (and many SHOULD be blocked, as they could be trackers or ads).   So it often takes some sleuthing to determine why the website isn't working as expected.

      • Calvin_Hobbes
      • 12 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I'm not able to reproduce the problem, so I'm not sure what's going on.     Occasionally, I have run into websites where the DNS answer depends on your geographic location.   This is one method that Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) use to connect you to the server closest to you.  

      However, I don't think that's an issue with your particular website because I used this tool https://dnschecker.org to see the result from DNS servers around the world, and the answer is always the same 216.239.138.60 which is the same result I get from NextDNS. Is it the same result you get?

      My logs don't show anything being blocked after loading gamesack.net. Your result could be different if you are using different blocklists than I'm using. I'm only using Hagezi Multi-pro and OISD.

      • Shentok
      • 12 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I get the same IP as you. The only blocklists I have active are the ones that were on by default when I signed up.

      • Calvin_Hobbes
      • 12 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I don't know what the default lists are.   The website is working for me while using NextDNS with the two lists I mentioned earlier.    

      You might want to look a this recommended configuration https://github.com/yokoffing/NextDNS-Config

      • Shentok
      • 12 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Threat Intelligence Feeds
      Google Safe Browsing
      Cryptojacking Protection
      IDN Homograph Attacks Protection
      Typosquatting Protection
      Domain Generation Algorithms (DGAs) Protection
      Block Parked Domains
      Block Child Sexual Abuse Material

       

      These are the ones I have enabled by default. I'll go ahead and enable any that are in that recommended list as well. I suppose my only choice is to go through each setting and disable them one at a time until I see which one may be causing issues. Like I said though, nothing is being blocked during the time I try to access the site and it works fine the moment I disable the service.

      • Shentok
      • 4 days ago
      • Reported - view

       So I tried going through every single possible option and the site is still unreachable while NextDNS is active. The moment I turn it off, the page loads fine. What are my options at this point?

      • Calvin_Hobbes
      • 4 days ago
      • Reported - view

       hmm…it’s strange that you’re not seeing anything blocked in the logs.

      You didn’t mention what browser you are using.  Perhaps try Chrome or Firefox and use the specific instructions for whichever browser you choose.   That might help narrow down the cause of the problem.

      • Shentok
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I've definitely tried multiple browsers. Chrome, Firefox, other Chromium-based ones such as Vivaldi and Edge. Same issue across the board.

      • Calvin_Hobbes
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

      did you use the nextdns instructions that are specific for the browser? The have instructions shown on https://my.nextdns.io

      • Shentok
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I have it running on my router using SmartDNS. To add to that, it still does it if I go off-network and have NextDNS enabled on the device through the desktop application or through their method on iPhone. Only way it loads is if I disable NextDNS.

      • Calvin_Hobbes
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I’m not able to reproduce the problem.  Have you tried creating a brand new profile with minimal configuration and removing all blocklists?   You didn’t previously mention having SmartDns in the mix.   Did you install it on any of your devices other than the router?
       

      You might want to learn the details of how to use dig or nslookup in order to directly query the DNS servers assigned to you.  
       

      I'm not able to reproduce the problem so there’s not much else I can do. 

      • Shentok
      • 9 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       I did try making a new profile. No change. Aside from the router, the only device with installed NextDNS is my phone.

      I'm not sure what I should be doing with nslookup though. Doing 

      nslookup gamesack.net 45.90.28.129
Server:  dns1.nextdns.io
Address:  45.90.28.129

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    gamesack.net
Address:  216.239.138.60

      gives me this. I  also did

      nslookup -type=ns gamesack.net
Server:  DD-WRT
Address:  192.168.1.1

Non-authoritative answer:
gamesack.net    nameserver = ns1.omnis.com
gamesack.net    nameserver = ns2.omnisdns.net

(root)  ??? unknown type 41 ???

nslookup gamesack.net ns1.omnis.com
Server:  ns1.guardedhost.com
Address:  216.239.128.2

Name:    gamesack.net
Address:  216.239.138.60

      this following some information that I looked up, but I'm not really sure what I should be looking for.

      If I do the server/key assigned to me, I get this:

      nslookup gamesack.net ******.dns.nextdns.io
DNS request timed out.
    timeout was 2 seconds.
Server:  UnKnown
Address:  162.218.114.81

DNS request timed out.
    timeout was 2 seconds.
DNS request timed out.
    timeout was 2 seconds.
DNS request timed out.
    timeout was 2 seconds.
DNS request timed out.
    timeout was 2 seconds.
*** Request to UnKnown timed-out
    • Cradal
    • 4 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Something I've noticed: a site can load in Chrome, but not Firefox. Possibly they handle certificates differently?

      • Shentok
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I've definitely tried multiple browsers. Chrome, Firefox, other Chromium-based ones such as Vivaldi and Edge. Same issue across the board.

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