RIPE Atlas Probe Map Screensaver
The RIPE Atlas Probe Map screensaver shows the real RIPE Atlas measurement network — thousands of probes in homes and datacentres that continuously measure the internet's reachability — plotted live from RIPE NCC's key-less API. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
Live preview
Press ESC to leave fullscreen. Settings are saved in your browser only.
How the RIPE Atlas Probe Map screensaver works
The saver reads RIPE NCC Atlas directly in your browser — no key and no account.
The real RIPE Atlas measurement network — thousands of probes in homes and datacentres that continuously measure the internet's reachability — plotted live from RIPE NCC's key-less API..
It refreshes on a schedule, so what you see stays current.
Colours and the accent can be changed in settings; nothing is stored beyond your own browser.
What the RIPE Atlas network does
RIPE NCC is the regional internet registry for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia, the organisation that allocates IP addresses in that area. In addition to its administrative role it runs RIPE Atlas, a global network of volunteer-hosted devices that measure internet connectivity. Probes sit in volunteers' homes, as hardware or software, and the network has well over ten thousand of them.
Operators use Atlas to check whether a service is reachable from many networks at once, to find out where an outage is, or to see how traffic is routed. Anyone can run pre-made measurements or create custom ones, which are paid for with credits that users earn and then spend. Anchors, devices installed in highly available networks, act as stable measurement devices and targets. Most of the data is freely available through maps, streaming visualisations and an API.
The map is an indicator of the measurement platform's reach, not of the internet's real population distribution. Probes are placed wherever volunteers choose to host them, so some regions look thin despite having plenty of users. A probe's presence also depends on the host keeping it powered and connected, so the count of connected devices fluctuates over a day.
A worked example
The real RIPE Atlas measurement network — thousands of probes in homes and datacentres that continuously measure the internet's reachability — plotted live from RIPE NCC's key-less API.
Settings & tips
- Accent and Background recolour the display.
- Data comes straight from RIPE NCC Atlas in your browser.
- Press ESC to leave fullscreen.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this real data?
- Yes — it comes from RIPE NCC Atlas and is refreshed on a schedule.
- Is a key needed?
- No. This source is fully key-less.
- Does it need an internet connection?
- Yes — it reads a live source, so it needs a connection to update.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
- Who can use RIPE Atlas data?
- Most of the data is freely available to anyone, through maps, visualisations and an API. Running your own custom measurements uses a credits system, where you earn credits and then spend them.
- Why are probes unevenly spread?
- Probes are hosted by volunteers, so coverage follows where people choose to host them rather than where internet users are.
- What does a disconnected probe mean?
- Usually that the host has switched it off or lost connectivity, not that the wider internet is down.