# When You Can't Ping, You Dig

DevFeed: [When You Can't Ping, You Dig](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/when-you-can-t-ping-you-dig-28127.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<http://fuzzyblog.io/blog/aws/2020/07/22/when-you-can-t-ping-you-dig.html>)

Author: Fuzzygroup

Published: 2020-07-22T00:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Scott Johnson](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/scott-johnson.md>)

Topics: [Internet](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/internet.md>), [Amazon Web Services](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/aws.md>)

Tags: [attacks](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/attacks.md>), [aws](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/aws.md>), [internet](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/internet.md>), [protocols](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/protocols.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains that ping checks whether an Internet service is available, while dig can be used to validate a service's address when ping is unavailable. It also notes that ping may be disabled because of ping flooding attacks.

## Source excerpt

Normally when I'm trying to validate that an Internet service is available, well, I ping. Ping is one of those Internet bedrock protocols that I'm firmly in the camp of "SHOULD ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS BE TURNED ON". But there are ping flooding attacks, etc so there are reasons why it isn't always a default (looking at you here AWS; staring you dead in the eyes with the 'ol stink eye). I recently realized that while it isn't example the same, if you're trying to validate something's address (as opposed to knowing if it is actually up), you can actually use dig. So instead of: ping foo.bar.com try: dig foo.bar.com