Question 1

Is Scratch down right now?

Accepted Answer

Down Checkr checks Scratch (scratch.mit.edu) from our servers every time someone visits this page and automatically re-checks every 5 minutes. The live status badge at the top shows the latest result including HTTP status code, response time, and whether the server responded correctly. If the badge shows "Outage Confirmed" it means our servers cannot reach scratch.mit.edu at this moment.

Question 2

How does Down Checkr check if Scratch is down?

Accepted Answer

We send an HTTP request directly to scratch.mit.edu from our monitoring servers and measure how long it takes to respond. We check for a valid HTTP status code (anything below 500 is considered "up"). We also resolve the domain's IP address, perform a reverse DNS lookup to identify the hosting provider, and scrape the page title and meta description so you can confirm the right page loaded.

Question 3

Scratch says it's up but I still can't access it — why?

Accepted Answer

Our checker contacts scratch.mit.edu from our servers, so if the site is reachable from our location but not yours, the issue is somewhere between you and the server. Common causes: your ISP's DNS cache has a stale record, your router needs a restart, the site is geo-blocked in your country, or your browser has cached a broken response. Try flushing your DNS, switching to a public DNS like 1.1.1.1, or testing from a different network entirely.

Question 4

How long has Scratch been down?

Accepted Answer

The 24-hour uptime history bar on this page shows hour-by-hour availability for Scratch. Each block represents one hour — green means the site was reachable, red means an outage was recorded. Hover over a block to see the exact uptime percentage for that hour. For longer historical data, user-submitted reports from the past 7 days are shown in the trend chart below the status bar.

Question 5

Is Scratch down for everyone or just me?

Accepted Answer

That's the core question Down Checkr answers. If our monitor reports Scratch is "Up" but you can't reach it, the problem is likely on your end — your network, DNS, or browser cache. If we report it as "Down", the outage is affecting all visitors globally. You can also check the user reports section to see if others are experiencing the same issue.

Question 6

Why is Scratch slow to load?

Accepted Answer

The response time displayed on this page is measured from our servers to scratch.mit.edu. If you see a high response time (over 2 seconds), the Scratch servers are under load or experiencing a partial degradation. If our response time is fast but your experience is slow, the bottleneck is likely your internet connection, the CDN node serving your region, or large assets (images, scripts) that take time to download.

Question 7

Can I get notified when Scratch goes down?

Accepted Answer

Down Checkr automatically re-checks Scratch every 5 minutes while you have this page open, updating the status in real time. For persistent background monitoring and email/push notifications, bookmark this page and check back, or use a dedicated uptime monitor service. You can also follow Scratch's official status page or their social media for announcements during major outages.

Question 8

What does a 503 or 502 error mean for Scratch?

Accepted Answer

A 502 "Bad Gateway" means the Scratch server received an invalid response from an upstream server — often caused by an overloaded backend or a failed deployment. A 503 "Service Unavailable" means the server is temporarily unable to handle requests, usually due to maintenance or traffic spikes. Both indicate a server-side issue, not a problem on your end. These typically resolve within minutes to a few hours.

Question 9

Is Scratch blocked in my country?

Accepted Answer

If Down Checkr shows Scratch as online but you can't access it, your government, ISP, or network administrator may have blocked the domain. This is common in certain regions for services like social media, messaging apps, and streaming platforms. To test: connect via a VPN server in a different country, then try accessing scratch.mit.edu again. If it works over VPN, geo-blocking or censorship is the likely cause.

Question 10

How do I report an outage or problem with Scratch?

Accepted Answer

Use the "I'm having issues" button in the problem-reporting section on this page. You can select the type of problem you're experiencing (login issues, slow loading, content not loading, etc.) and Down Checkr will record your report along with the time and problem category. These reports help other users gauge whether an outage is widespread and appear in the 7-day trend chart.

Is Scratch Down Right Now?

What problem are you having with Scratch?

Recent reports for Scratch

User reports in the last 24 hours

Most-reported education & learning problems

24-hour uptime history

Common questions about Scratch

Can't reach Scratch? Try these fixes

Clear your browser cache

Try a private / incognito window

Check your connection

Official status page

Past Scratch problems and outages

About Scratch

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