RIPE Atlas
RIPE Atlas is a network measurement service built around probes distributed around the world.
What RIPE Atlas is
RIPE Atlas is a network measurement service built around probes distributed around the world. It measures Internet connectivity and reachability in real time, with data that can help with research, network monitoring, debugging and alerts about network events. Most collected results are available to browse, download or use without hosting a probe or holding a RIPE NCC account. Users with enough credits can schedule ping, DNS, traceroute and SSL certificate measurements through the portal or API, setting parameters such as address family and interval. RIPE Atlas also runs built-in measurements automatically; some have accumulated historical data over years. Eligible new users can claim a one-time 50,000-credit grant, and probe hosts earn credits while connected. Approved probe-host applicants receive a probe by post at no charge, with approval based on location. The service offers REST and streaming APIs and Python-dependent command-line tools. Probe IP addresses may appear in measurements, but personal email addresses are not shown. The service is free, with web, API, Linux and macOS access.
Good
- Most collected data is free to browse and download.
- Supports ping, DNS, traceroute and SSL tests.
- Built-in measurements provide some long-running historical data.
- REST API, streaming API and command-line tools are available.
Watch out
- Custom measurements require credits.
- Command-line tools require Python.
- Windows support is experimental.
- Probe IP addresses may appear in measurements.
Who it suits
RIPE Atlas suits network researchers and operators who need connectivity measurements, historical results or diagnostic data. Custom tests require credits, while much of the public data can be used without an account or probe.
Verdict
RIPE Atlas offers public network measurement data and credit-based custom tests. It is relevant for research, monitoring and debugging, but users should account for credit requirements and the visibility of probe IP addresses.
Plans and prices
From RIPE Atlas's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| RIPE Atlas | Free | Public measurements and data · Custom measurements require credits · Up to 100 simultaneous measurements · Up to 1,000 probes per measurement · Up to 100,000 results per day |
The facts
Each one read from RIPE Atlas's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API and tooling
- RIPE Atlas provides a REST API, a streaming API, and command-line tools that require Python.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Authentication
- The API supports scoped API keys and session-based authentication, while many read operations work anonymously.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Built-in measurements
- Connected probes automatically run predefined ping, traceroute, DNS, SSL/TLS and HTTP measurements toward well-known targets.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Credits
- Probe hosts earn credits while probes remain connected and spend those credits on user-defined measurements.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Custom measurements
- Users can schedule their own measurements through the portal or API when they have enough credits.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- Documentation includes getting-started guides, how-to procedures, troubleshooting, API manuals, endpoint references, release notes and security disclosures.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent use case
- Microsoft researchers used more than 8,000 predominantly home-hosted RIPE Atlas probes to investigate anycast CDN performance.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent use case: NAT64
- A 2024 RIPE Labs study used RIPE Atlas to measure NAT64 deployment and performance across networks.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: API rate limits
- A January 2025 RIPE Atlas mailing-list report describes errors from too many concurrent WebSocket connections and observations of 100% packet loss or very long RTTs.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: Missing data
- A peer-reviewed study found that regular RIPE Atlas measurements commonly lose data points, including many losses occurring while probes appeared connected.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: Sampling bias
- Independent analysis reports that RIPE Atlas vantage-point deployment and its probe-selection algorithm can produce substantial measurement bias compared with random sampling.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Measurement types
- Built-in and user-defined tests include ping, traceroute, DNS, SSL/TLS, NTP and HTTP measurements for anchors.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Network scale
- The RIPE NCC states that the network contains more than 14,000 probes.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Notable news: anchor upgrade
- The RIPE NCC announced an RIPE Atlas anchor operating-system upgrade on 28 June 2024.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Open-source probe code
- The RIPE Atlas software-probe code is publicly maintained in a RIPE-NCC GitHub repository.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Organization
- RIPE NCC’s Amsterdam office is at Stationsplein 11 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Praise: Research utility
- Independent research papers use RIPE Atlas for large-scale Internet measurement, including studies involving roughly 10,000 vantage points and billions of results.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- Probe IP addresses can appear in measurements, while personal email addresses are never shown.checked 30 Sep 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2010checked 23 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Amsterdam, Netherlandschecked 23 Sep 2026
- Maker founded
- The RIPE NCC began operations in April 1992.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Maker headquarters
- The RIPE NCC Amsterdam office is at Stationsplein 11, Amsterdam, Netherlands.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Maker legal status
- RIPE NCC is a not-for-profit membership organisation under Dutch law, funded by members and governed by an elected board.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Maker size
- The RIPE NCC says it has more than 175 people from over 40 countries.checked 15 Oct 2026
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