RPKI Validator Acceptable Use Policy

This policy applies to the free public RPKI validator that Stacklayer Communications Ltd runs on AS218805, including the website at https://rpki.stacklayer.host/ and the RPKI-to-Router (RTR) server at 222.167.221.69, TCP port 3323. It is a public service provided for the good of the internet community, and it is not part of any hosting plan. Our general Acceptable Use Policy covers our other services, and the RPKI Validator Terms cover how the service is provided.

By using the validator you agree to this policy. If you do not agree, do not use it.

Who may use it

Anyone may use it, without an account, to help run or check an internet network. This includes network operators, hosting and ISP engineers, researchers and students. You may use it for a commercial network, as long as you use it for that network's own routing operations.

What you may do

• connect your own routers or your own RPKI-to-Router client to the RTR server to get validated route data
• use the website to check routes and ROAs
• use what you learn to improve your own routing and your own ROAs and route objects
• tell us about a problem or an error, using the contact below

What you must not do

You must not use the validator, or help anyone else use it, to:

• overload, flood, scan, probe or attack the service or the network it runs on, or attempt to break into it, bypass any limit or access anything you are not meant to
• open more connections than you need. One or two sessions for each router is normal. We may limit or close connections that are well above that
• run scripts or tools that repeatedly query the website or the RTR server in a way that harms it, or collect its data in bulk to republish. Public validation data is available from the registries, and you should use them for that
• resell the service, offer it to others as your own paid service, or present it as your own or as an official service of Stacklayer Communications Ltd
• use it in a way that breaks the law, or to help anyone break the law, or to cause harm to another network
• send traffic from addresses that you are not entitled to use, or fake your address to get around a block
• use it for anything that would put our network or other users at risk

Fair use and limits

The service is shared by everyone. We may apply connection limits and rate limits, and we may change them at any time without notice. If you need a high-volume or dedicated service, run your own validator. The software is free and open source.

Do not rely on it alone

The service is best effort and has no uptime promise. You are responsible for deciding how your routers behave when a validator is unavailable, slow or out of date. We strongly advise using at least two validators from different operators, and not just ours.

What we may do

We may block an address or range, limit connections, change the address or port of the service, or suspend or stop the service completely, at any time and without notice. We will do so quickly if we think you are abusing it, or if your use affects the service or our network. We are not obliged to give a reason, although we will try to where we can.

We may keep logs of connections to the service, such as the IP address, the time and the amount of data, for security, abuse prevention and to run the service. See our Privacy Policy for how we handle personal data.

Reporting abuse or a problem

If you think someone is misusing the service, or you find a security problem, please email abuse@stacklayer.host or submit a support ticket through our client area. Include the time, the address involved and what you saw. Do not test for weaknesses without asking us first, and do not publish a vulnerability before we have had a reasonable chance to fix it.

Changes to this policy

We may change this policy. The date above shows when it last changed, and using the service after that means you accept the new version.