Ok I know it's off topic but I have got to ask, what is up with archive.md links? I have never in my life successfully loaded an archive.md URL. I either get straight up DNS errors or very occasionally I see a spinner that never finishes loading. Yet they must work for others because they're constantly being posted here.

Maybe you're using cloudflare dns? https://community.cloudflare.com/t/archive-is-error-1001/182...

Can someone explain in English what is going on here?

I thought I understand DNS but I guess I don't.

For Cloudflare DNS servers the archive.md DNS server tells them the URL is not configured. It's configured to change according to which DNS server queries it by location/IP. It's not something Cloudflare can fix unilaterally. (or something like that)

edit: elsewhere linked is an explanation: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19828702

I am, on all of my devices. Interesting.

A great example of why you as a techie should be using your own recursive resolver.

Are you using Cloudflare DNS? The archive.is owners intentionally block it. It's occasionally blocked at the ISP level too.

I wish we have archive.md automatic for each post...

They usually help with sites that go down under a heavy traffic load, or that have a paywall.

Cloudflare DNS blocks

That's untrue, you can see Cloudflare's explanation here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19828702

Short version: The Archive.is authoritative DNS servers do not give correct addresses to Cloudflare when Cloudflare asks for them

The website blocks Cloudflare DNS, not the other way around.

Why would it do that FFS ?

Cloudflare doesn't block them, Archive.is intentionally refuses to resolve DNS queries from 1.1.1.1 due to lack of geo information. See explanation here: https://jarv.is/notes/cloudflare-dns-archive-is-blocked/

It doesn't/its complicated.

Huh. Any idea why?

You can read about their reasoning here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19828702

Posted by https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=eastdakota, whose profile reads:

> A little bit geek, wonk, and nerd. Repeat entrepreneur, recovering lawyer and former ski instructor. CEO & co-founder of CloudFlare. [ my public key: https://keybase.io/eastdakota; my proof: https://keybase.io/eastdakota/sigs/_uDY0ZsLTEWaNu5daRtuwzZtJ... ]

After opening this url on my phone, it waits three seconds and then shows me a scam ad scaring me into purchasing a fake android cleaner app.

Same for me. Full page add, no way to close.