Verifying a Target Host

Before you can create a test, you must register a target host. Go to the Target Hosts page, then click on New Host to get started:

Enter the domain name or IP address, and the port number in the New Target Host form:

If you are using a default port (80 or 443 for HTTPS) the port number is not needed.

Once your target host is saved, you will need to verify it using the token that is generated for it. The token will look something like this:

loaderio-28016b04fdb0ed4ea066ecec5a19c1ad

There are two ways to verify your host: by uploading a file to your server, or adding a TXT record to your DNS.

Once your verification is in place and Loader checks it, your tests can run. If you ever remove the verification, tests will not be able to run.

Tokens are unique for each account and host, so your verification file will not work for someone using a different account.

Verifying by HTTP #

When you click "Verify", Loader will check for the verification file, and if it succeeds you can go ahead and create a test against that host. Loader checks for the verification file each time you run a test against this host.

• The file's name should be loaderio-[your token] with an optional .txt or .html extension

$ ls
loaderio-28016b04fdb0ed4ea066ecec5a19c1ad.txt<br>
	

• The only text in the file should be loaderio- and the token itself

$ cat loaderio-28016b04fdb0ed4ea066ecec5a19c1ad.txt
loaderio-28016b04fdb0ed4ea066ecec5a19c1ad<br>
	

• The file should be uploaded at the root of your server

$ curl http://gonnacrushya.com/loaderio-28016b04fdb0ed4ea066ecec5a19c1ad.txt
loaderio-28016b04fdb0ed4ea066ecec5a19c1ad<br>
	

Common HTTP Verification Problems

I can see the key in my browser, but loader won't verify it!

• Make sure you have installed the correct token, and that no other content is present.
• If your server requires authentication, make an exception for the verification file.
• Do a sanity check by trying to open the token in a fresh browser session or in a "private browsing" session.

Verify by DNS #

Effective October 23, 2015: Verify by DNS is only available for paid plans.

To verify using DNS, you will need to add a TXT record for your host's domain. How you do this depends on your hosting provider and how you are hosting your DNS, so if you aren't sure how to add a TXT record, check your hosting provider's documentation, or search the web.

Note that for DNS verification, the token has a slightly different format, with an equals sign instead of a hyphen:

loaderio=28016b04fdb0ed4ea066ecec5a19c1ad

In your DNS dashboard, create a TXT record with the value of your token. If the host you are testing is a subdomain (e.g. test.example.com), the TXT record can be on either the subdomain (test.example.com) or the root domain (example.com.)

$ dig +short @8.8.8.8 TXT example.com
"loaderio=28016b04fdb0ed4ea066ecec5a19c1ad"