What is RIPE Atlas?

RIPE Atlas is a global network of probes that measure Internet connectivity and reachability, providing an unprecedented understanding of the state of the Internet in real time.

There are thousands of active probes in the RIPE Atlas network, concentrated in the RIPE NCC's service region of Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia, and the network is constantly growing. The RIPE NCC collects the data from this network and provides useful maps and graphs based on the aggregated results. RIPE Atlas users who host a probe can also use the entire RIPE Atlas network to conduct customised measurements that provide valuable data about their own network.

Goals

The overarching goals of RIPE Atlas are:

• To provide users with an active measurement tool for baseline and on-demand individual measurements from thousands of vantage points around the Internet
• To produce Internet "traffic maps" and other data that can be used by the technical community
• To act as a trusted source of data regarding real-life, active measurements

Structure

The RIPE Atlas community is made up of users, hosts, sponsors and ambassadors.

Anyone who accesses RIPE Atlas maps and statistics, which are open and available to the public, is considered a RIPE Atlas user.

A host is anyone who connects a probe or anchor to their own network. Hosts can conduct their own customised measurements in order to gain valuable information about their network using other RIPE Atlas probes.

A sponsor is an individual or organisation that financially supports RIPE Atlas.

An ambassador is someone who helps us distribute RIPE Atlas probes.

RIPE NCC members can also take advantage of special RIPE Atlas features, even if they do not host a probe.

Data collection

RIPE Atlas probes are small, USB-powered hardware devices that hosts attach to an Ethernet port on their router via a network (UTP) cable. They conduct different measurements and relay this data to the RIPE NCC, where it is aggregated with data from the rest of the RIPE Atlas network. The probes use a very small amount of bandwidth and cannot determine any information about the content passing to or from their host computers. Probes conduct the following types of measurements: ping, traceroute, DNS and SSLcert.

RIPE Atlas anchors are both enhanced RIPE Atlas probes with much more measurement capacity, as well as powerful regional measurement targets within the greater RIPE Atlas network. They provide valuable information about the local and regional connectivity and reachability of the Internet.

Benefits

The unique benefit of RIPE Atlas is the ability to send active measurement traffic from thousands of vantage points across the Internet and record the responses. We know of no other infrastructure with this number of vantage points operating around the clock. This functionality translates into a multitude of benefits for RIPE Atlas users, hosts, sponsors, ambassadors and RIPE NCC members:

• The Internet community can access RIPE Atlas data in a number of formats, including Internet maps, and use it for their own purposes. Some examples of analyses performed using RIPE Atlas data include a case study of IPv6 /48 filtering, the impact of Superstorm Sandy on Internet traffic routing, and comparing response times of DNS servers. Get the full analyses and see more results.

• RIPE Atlas hosts aren’t only helping to create the world’s largest Internet measurement network – they also earn credits they can use to conduct their own customised measurements using the entire RIPE Atlas network, which can provide valuable information about the performance of their own network. Anchor hosts earn ten times more credits and are recognised on the RIPE Atlas website.

• RIPE Atlas sponsors enjoy additional benefits, such as extra credits that can be used to perform even more customised measurements and special acknowledgement on the RIPE NCC's website.

• RIPE NCC members, even if they do not host a RIPE Atlas probe, can take advantage of special features available only to them, including testing their IPv6 reachability and requesting one million credits to perform their own customised measurements. RIPE NCC members also receive privileged and early access to the pool of all collected measurements.

Find out more about how to get involved with RIPE Atlas.

Background

The RIPE NCC began development of RIPE Atlas in late 2010 as its next generation active measurement network. The pilot program built on the RIPE NCC's previous measurement network, the Test Traffic Measurement Service (TTM), which was the RIPE NCC's first foray into active measurements. (Almost all of TTM's original functionality has now been transitioned into the RIPE Atlas infrastructure, and TTM was discontinued in mid-2014.)

With RIPE Atlas, the RIPE NCC hopes to create the world's largest Internet measurement network. In order to achieve our aim, we rely on interested members of the Internet community - both in the RIPE NCC's service region and around the world - to host RIPE Atlas probes and anchors that relay the results of automated measurements to RIPE Atlas's central infrastructure at the RIPE NCC.

By the end of 2011, more than 1,000 people hosted RIPE Atlas probes. A year later, that figure grew to more than 2,000 and, by the end of 2013, nearly 5,000. With your help, we hope to continue to expand the network with the ultimate goal of many thousands of probes distributed globally, providing the most detailed picture of the Internet's infrastructure ever created. Learn more about the different ways to get involved.

Still have questions?

Learn more about the future plans for RIPE Atlas, or get more detailed information about general and technical aspects of RIPE Atlas in the FAQ.