Description
Speedtest.net, also known as Speedtest by Ookla, is a web service that provides free analysis of Internet access performance metrics, such as connection data rate and latency. It is the flagship product of Ookla, a web testing and network diagnostics company founded in 2006, and based in Seattle, Washington, United States.
The service measures the data throughput (speed) and latency (connection delay) of an Internet connection against one of around 11,000 geographically dispersed servers (as of August 2021). Each test measures the data rate for the download direction, i.e. from the server to the user computer, and the upload data rate, i.e. from the user's computer to the server. The tests are performed within the user's web browser or within apps. As of September 2018, over 21 billion speed tests have been completed.
Tests were previously performed using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) at Layer 7 of the OSI model. To further improve accuracy, Speedtest.net now performs tests via direct Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) sockets and uses a custom protocol for communication between servers and clients.
The site also offers detailed statistics based on test results. This data has been used by numerous publications in the analysis of Internet access data rates around the world.
