How to Use Python to Monitor Website Availability, Connection, and Blocking in China for Journalists

In an era where digital information flows freely across borders, ensuring that your content is accessible in regions with strict internet controls is crucial. For journalists and media professionals, monitoring and verifying the accessibility of websites in China is essential to ensure that news and important information reach the Chinese audience. Using tools like the China website blocking checker, GFW blocking checker, and China connectivity API, you can test and confirm whether your site is being blocked by the Great Firewall (GFW) or if there are other connectivity issues affecting your content's availability. The "China Connectivity and GFW Blocking Checker (Multi-metric)" API, available on RapidAPI, provides a comprehensive solution for checking website accessibility in China. This Python-based API tool allows journalists to monitor website availability in China, test connection metrics, and detect censorship. By integrating this API into your workflow, you can proactively address any issues related to China internet censorship, ensuring your content remains accessible to the Chinese audience.

API Overview

The China Connectivity and GFW Blocking Checker (Multi-metric) API allows journalists to:

Check if a website is blocked by the Great Firewall of China (GFW).
Monitor connectivity and website performance from within China, particularly Shanghai.
Gather detailed metrics such as DNS resolution time, connection time, download speed, and total load time to assess website availability and performance.

This API is available on RapidAPI, a platform that offers easy access to thousands of APIs. You can explore and subscribe to the API here: China Connectivity and GFW Blocking Checker (Multi-metric) on RapidAPI.

Setting Up the API with RapidAPI

To start using the API, follow these steps:

Sign Up on RapidAPI: If you don’t already have an account, sign up at RapidAPI.
Find and Subscribe to the API: Visit the API page and choose a subscription plan that suits your needs.
Obtain Your API Key: After subscribing, you will receive an API key, which is necessary for making requests.

Using the API with Python

Now, let’s dive into how you can use Python to interact with the API and monitor website availability and blocking in China.

Step 1: Install Required Libraries

To make HTTP requests from your Python script, you’ll need the requests library. Install it using pip if you haven’t already:

pip install requests

Step 2: Write the Python Script

Below is a sample Python script to check if a website is accessible from China:

import requests

# Define the API endpoint and query parameters
api_url = "https://china-connectivity-and-gfw-blocking-checker-multi-metric.p.rapidapi.com/"
querystring = {"url": "https://microsoft.com"}

# Set up the headers, including your RapidAPI key
headers = {
    "x-rapidapi-host": "china-connectivity-and-gfw-blocking-checker-multi-metric.p.rapidapi.com",
    "x-rapidapi-key": "YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY"
}

# Make the GET request to the API
response = requests.get(api_url, headers=headers, params=querystring)

# Process the response
if response.status_code == 200:
    results = response.json()
    for result in results:
        print(f"Node: {result['node_name']}")
        print(f"Host: {result['host']}")
        print(f"HTTP Code: {result['http_code']}")
        print(f"Connection Time: {result['time_connect']}s")
        print(f"Total Time: {result['time_total']}s")
        print(f"Download Speed: {result['speed_download']} bytes/s")
        print(f"Blocked: {'Yes' if result['http_code'] == 0 else 'No'}")
        print("-" * 40)
else:
    print(f"Error: {response.status_code} - {response.text}")

Replace "YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY" with the API key obtained from RapidAPI.

Step 3: Execute the Script

Save the script as check_gfw_blocking.py and run it:

python check_gfw_blocking.py

The script will output whether the specified website is blocked in China, along with other important connectivity metrics.

Example Output

If the website is blocked, the output will look similar to this:

Node: 上海电信
Host: youtube.com
HTTP Code: 0
Connection Time: 0.0s
Total Time: 7.502061s
Download Speed: 0 bytes/s
Blocked: Yes
----------------------------------------

If the website is not blocked, the output will be:

Node: 上海电信
Host: microsoft.com
HTTP Code: 200
Connection Time: 0.202659s
Total Time: 0.468067s
Download Speed: 26968 bytes/s
Blocked: No
----------------------------------------

Alternative Method Using cURL

If you prefer using cURL, here’s how to check a website’s availability in China:

curl --request GET \
    --url 'https://china-connectivity-and-gfw-blocking-checker-multi-metric.p.rapidapi.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmicrosoft.com' \
    --header 'x-rapidapi-host: china-connectivity-and-gfw-blocking-checker-multi-metric.p.rapidapi.com' \
    --header 'x-rapidapi-key: YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY'

This command sends a request to check the accessibility of https://microsoft.com from China.

Use Cases for Journalists

Here are some practical scenarios for journalists to use this API:

Monitoring Censorship: Journalists can use this API to monitor if their content or other important news websites are being blocked in China.
Real-time Reporting: Integrate this API into newsroom tools to provide real-time updates on the availability of news sites in China.
Censorship Research: Academics and journalists researching internet censorship can use this API to gather data on which sites are being blocked and analyze trends.

Terms of Use

Use this API at your own risk. The service is provided "as-is" without any warranties, and no guarantee is given regarding the accuracy or completeness of the results. Abuse of this API, including excessive or malicious use, is prohibited and may result in the suspension of access.

Conclusion

For journalists and media professionals, ensuring that content remains accessible in China is critical. The "China Connectivity and GFW Blocking Checker (Multi-metric)" API offers a reliable tool for monitoring website accessibility and diagnosing potential blocking by the Great Firewall. By integrating this API into your Python scripts or using cURL, you can ensure that your reporting reaches the widest possible audience, even in regions with strict internet censorship.

How to Use Python to Monitor Website Availability, Connection, and GFW Blocking in China for Journalists