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Platform | Having trouble resolving your Liongard instance?

Troubleshooting DNS Issues

Updated over a month ago

Overview 💥

If you’re unable to access your Liongard platform instance (for example, the page does not load, times out, or fails to resolve), the issue is often related to DNS resolution, local network restrictions, or security filtering—not a Liongard outage.

This article walks through:

  • Common reasons instance resolution fails

  • Step-by-step troubleshooting actions

  • How to validate DNS and network behavior

  • When to escalate to Liongard Support


Why This Happens 🤔

Liongard is a cloud-hosted SaaS platform accessed over HTTPS. Resolution issues typically occur due to:

  • Local DNS servers failing to resolve Liongard domains

  • ISP or corporate DNS filtering

  • Firewall, proxy, or secure web gateway (SWG) blocking outbound traffic

  • Cached or stale DNS records on the endpoint

  • Geo-based or regional network restrictions


Step-by-Step Troubleshooting 🔧

Step 1 — Confirm the Symptoms

You may observe:

  • “Site can’t be reached”

  • “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN”

  • Long loading times followed by timeout

  • Instance loads on one network but not another

💡 Quick test
Try accessing the instance from a different network (mobile hotspot, home Wi-Fi).
If it works there, the issue is almost certainly network or DNS-related.

Step 2 — Flush Local DNS Cache

Stale DNS entries can prevent proper resolution.

✅ Windows

ipconfig /flushdns

✅ macOS

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

After clearing the cache, retry accessing your Liongard instance.

Step 3 — Test Using Public DNS Servers

If your internal DNS servers are blocking or mis-resolving requests, switching temporarily to a public DNS can help isolate the issue.

Recommended public DNS options:

Provider

Primary

Secondary

Google Public DNS

8.8.8.8

8.8.4.4

Cloudflare DNS

1.1.1.1

1.0.0.1

⚠️ Important
This step is for testing and validation. Follow your organization’s policies before making permanent DNS changes.

Once updated:

  1. Flush DNS again

  2. Retry accessing the Liongard instance

Step 4 — Check Firewall / Proxy / SWG Rules 🔐

Ensure outbound HTTPS traffic is allowed.

Minimum requirement:

Common blockers include:

  • SSL inspection

  • Geo-restrictions

  • Category-based web filtering

  • Proxy authentication failures

📌 Note
If your environment uses strict allowlisting, confirm Liongard endpoints are permitted.
Refer to Liongard’s allowlisting documentation for current requirements.

Step 5 — Validate from the Command Line (Optional)

Users can validate DNS resolution directly.

nslookup <your-liongard-instance-url>

Expected behavior:

  • The domain resolves to a valid IP

  • No NXDOMAIN or timeout errors


Common Issues & Resolutions 👨‍💻

Symptom

Likely Cause

Recommended Action

Instance won’t load

DNS resolution failure

Flush DNS, test public DNS

Works on hotspot only

Corporate DNS or firewall

Review network rules

Intermittent access

DNS caching or proxy

Clear cache, review proxy logs

Browser-specific issue

Cached data or extension

Try incognito or another browser

Entire org affected

Network-level block

Coordinate with IT/network team


When to Contact Liongard Support 🦁

Contact Liongard Support if:

  • DNS resolves correctly but the instance still fails to load

  • Multiple users across different networks are impacted

  • You suspect a regional or platform-level issue

  • You need confirmation of Liongard service availability

Please include:

  • Your Liongard instance URL

  • Approximate time the issue started

  • Results of DNS tests (if available)

  • Whether the issue occurs on multiple networks

  • Screenshot(s)of error (if any)


Important Notes & Disclaimers 📌

  • Liongard platform availability depends on proper DNS and outbound HTTPS access

  • Local network controls are outside of Liongard’s control

  • Public DNS testing is a diagnostic step, not a required configuration

  • This article does not replace allowlisting or firewall configuration guidance


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