Website Blocking & SSL: What You Need to Know

TL;DR

Yes, a country can block your website even if you use SSL (HTTPS). They don’t block the encryption itself, but they can block access to your server’s IP address or domain name. This is usually done through DNS filtering, IP blocking, and sometimes deep packet inspection. There are ways to mitigate this, but no guaranteed solution exists.

Understanding How Blocking Works

SSL/HTTPS encrypts the communication between a user’s browser and your server. However, it doesn’t hide where your server is located (its IP address) or what its domain name is. Countries block websites by interfering with these aspects of the connection.

Steps to Understand & Potentially Mitigate Blocking

1. Check if You’re Blocked: Use online tools to see if your website is accessible from different countries.
   • ViewMySite.com: A simple tool for checking accessibility.
   • Down For Everyone Or Just Me?: Another useful checker.
   • VPN Testing: Connect through a VPN server in the country you suspect is blocking access and see if it works.
2. Identify Blocking Method: Determine how the blockage is happening.
   • DNS Filtering: The most common method. The country’s DNS servers return incorrect IP addresses for your domain, or refuse to resolve it at all.
   • IP Blocking: Your server’s IP address is added to a blacklist, preventing connections directly.
   • Deep Packet Inspection (DPI): More sophisticated; the country inspects network traffic and blocks based on content or protocols. Less common for simple website blocking.
3. Confirm DNS Resolution: Use command-line tools to check DNS records.

   nslookup yourdomain.com

   If the IP address returned is incorrect or no results are shown from within the blocked country, it’s likely a DNS issue.

4. Consider a Content Delivery Network (CDN): CDNs distribute your website content across multiple servers in different locations.
   • This can help bypass IP blocking if some of the CDN’s servers aren’t blocked.
   • Popular options include Cloudflare, Akamai, and Fastly.
5. Use Multiple Domain Names: Registering multiple domain names pointing to your server can sometimes help.
   • If one domain is blocked, others might remain accessible.
6. Explore Alternative Hosting Locations: If possible, host your website in a country that doesn’t have the same restrictions.
   • Be aware of legal implications and data sovereignty concerns.
7. Obfuscation (Advanced): For DPI blocking, you might consider techniques to obfuscate your traffic.
   • This is complex and may not be effective against sophisticated DPI systems.
   • Examples include using different ports or protocols, but these can impact performance and security.
8. Contact Your Hosting Provider: They might have insights into the blocking situation and potential solutions.
   • They may also be able to assist with CDN integration or other mitigation strategies.

Important Considerations

• No Guarantees: There’s no foolproof way to guarantee access in a country actively blocking your website.
• Legal Compliance: Be aware of the laws and regulations in the countries you operate in.
• Cyber security: Ensure any mitigation techniques don’t compromise your website’s cyber security. Using reputable CDNs and hosting providers is crucial.