xcancel-forwarder

Local network tool that transparently redirects all X/Twitter traffic to xcancel.com, allowing you to browse Twitter content without directly accessing X's servers.

Project maintained by ryantenney Hosted on GitHub Pages — Theme by mattgraham

Testing and Verification

Essential tests to verify your X/Twitter → xcancel redirect setup is working.

For advanced testing: See TESTING_ADVANCED.md for end-to-end testing, network-wide verification, monitoring, performance testing, and automated test scripts.

Pre-Flight Checklist

Before testing, ensure:

Docker containers are running: docker compose ps
DNS is configured (Pi-hole, dnsmasq, router, or hosts file)
SSL certificates are in place (if using HTTPS)
You know your nginx server’s IP address

Quick Test Script

Use the included test script for automated verification:

./scripts/test-redirect.sh

Or continue with manual tests below.

Test 1: Container Status

Verify containers are running properly:

# Check container status
docker compose ps

# Should show:
# NAME              STATUS
# xcancel-nginx     Up (healthy)
# xcancel-dnsmasq   Up (if using dnsmasq)

# Check nginx logs
docker compose logs nginx

# Should show nginx started without errors
# Look for: "start worker processes"

Expected Output

nginx: [notice] start worker processes
nginx: [notice] ... worker process started

Troubleshooting

Container is “Up” but not “healthy”:

# Check health check logs
docker inspect xcancel-nginx | grep -A 10 Health

# Health check tests wget to localhost
# If failing, check nginx is actually listening
docker compose exec nginx netstat -tlnp

Container exits immediately:

# Check for config errors
docker compose logs nginx

# Common issues:
# - SSL certificate files missing
# - Invalid nginx configuration
# - Port already in use

Test 2: DNS Resolution

Verify domains resolve to your nginx IP.

Using nslookup

# Test twitter.com
nslookup twitter.com

# Expected output:
# Server:   192.168.1.1 (or your DNS server IP)
# Address:  192.168.1.1#53
#
# Name:     twitter.com
# Address:  192.168.1.100 (your nginx IP)

# Test all domains
nslookup x.com
nslookup t.co
nslookup www.twitter.com
nslookup www.x.com

Using dig (More Detailed)

# Test twitter.com
dig twitter.com

# Look for ANSWER section:
# ;; ANSWER SECTION:
# twitter.com.  300  IN  A  192.168.1.100

# Test specific DNS server
dig @192.168.1.101 twitter.com

Using host

host twitter.com
# Should return: twitter.com has address 192.168.1.100

Troubleshooting

Still returns real X IP (104.244.42.x):

DNS override not working
Client not using your DNS server
DNS cache needs clearing

“Non-authoritative answer” or caching issues:

# Clear local DNS cache (see below)
# Force fresh lookup
dig twitter.com +trace

Test 3: HTTP Redirect (Port 80)

Test the redirect without SSL:

# Test with curl
curl -I http://twitter.com

# Expected output:
# HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
# Location: https://xcancel.com/
# ...

# Test with a path
curl -I http://twitter.com/NASA

# Expected output:
# HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
# Location: https://xcancel.com/NASA

Test All Domains

curl -I http://twitter.com
curl -I http://www.twitter.com
curl -I http://x.com
curl -I http://www.x.com
curl -I http://t.co

All should return 301 Moved Permanently to https://xcancel.com/.

Troubleshooting

Connection refused:

# Check nginx is listening on port 80
docker compose exec nginx netstat -tlnp | grep :80

# Test directly to nginx IP
curl -I http://192.168.1.100

404 or wrong response:

nginx config issue
Check nginx/conf.d/xcancel-redirect.conf
Verify server_name includes the domain

Redirect to wrong destination:

Check location / block in nginx config
Should be: return 301 https://xcancel.com$request_uri;

Test 4: HTTPS Redirect (Port 443)

If you configured SSL certificates:

# Test HTTPS redirect
curl -I https://twitter.com

# Expected output:
# HTTP/2 301
# location: https://xcancel.com/
# ...

Test Certificate

# Check certificate details
openssl s_client -connect twitter.com:443 -servername twitter.com < /dev/null

# Look for:
# - Issuer: Your CA
# - Subject: CN=twitter.com
# - Subject Alternative Names: twitter.com, x.com, etc.
# - Verify return code: 0 (ok)

Troubleshooting

Certificate not trusted (curl):

# Bypass verification (testing only)
curl -Ik https://twitter.com

# If this works, certificate is being served
# Issue is with trust/CA installation

Wrong certificate:

# Check what cert nginx is serving
openssl s_client -connect 192.168.1.100:443 < /dev/null | openssl x509 -text

# Verify Subject and SANs match

SSL handshake failure:

Check certificate files exist in nginx/ssl/
Verify permissions (644 for .crt, 600 for .key)
Check nginx error logs: docker compose logs nginx

Test 5: Browser Test

Most important test - does it work in a real browser?

Desktop Browser Test

Open browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
Navigate to https://twitter.com
Should redirect to https://xcancel.com
Check address bar - should show xcancel.com
No security warnings

Test Specific Paths

Visit these URLs - all should redirect to xcancel:

https://twitter.com/NASA
https://x.com/verified
https://twitter.com/i/trends
https://t.co/xxxxxxxxxx (any t.co short link)

Mobile Browser Test

Repeat tests on mobile devices (iOS/Android):

Ensure mobile device is using your DNS
Visit https://twitter.com
Should redirect without warnings

Troubleshooting

Browser shows security warning:

CA not installed on this device
Certificate doesn’t match domain
See SSL_SETUP_MKCERT.md or SSL_SETUP.md for CA installation

Not redirecting:

DNS not working on this device
Browser DNS cache needs clearing
Try private/incognito mode

Mixed results (works sometimes):

DNS caching - wait or clear cache
Multiple DNS servers configured, using wrong one
VPN overriding DNS settings

Clearing Caches

If tests aren’t working, clear caches. This solves 90% of issues.

DNS Server Cache

Pi-hole:

pihole restartdns

dnsmasq (standalone):

docker compose restart dnsmasq

Router:

Restart router’s DNS service or reboot router.

Client DNS Cache

Windows:

ipconfig /flushdns

macOS:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Linux:

# systemd-resolved
sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches

# nscd
sudo service nscd restart

# dnsmasq (if running locally)
sudo systemctl restart dnsmasq

iOS:

Enable Airplane Mode
Wait 5 seconds
Disable Airplane Mode

Android:

Settings → Network → Wi-Fi
Forget network
Reconnect

Browser Cache

Chrome/Edge:

Visit chrome://net-internals/#dns
Click “Clear host cache”

Firefox:

Visit about:networking#dns
Click “Clear DNS Cache”

Safari:

Quit Safari completely
Reopen

Common Issues Checklist

If things aren’t working, check:

Containers are running: docker compose ps
DNS resolves correctly: nslookup twitter.com
nginx is accessible: curl http://192.168.1.100
Firewall allows ports 80/443
SSL certificates exist: ls nginx/ssl/
Client is using your DNS server
Caches have been cleared (DNS server + client + browser)
No VPN overriding DNS

Success Indicators

You’ll know it’s working when:

✅ nslookup twitter.com returns your nginx IP
✅ curl -I http://twitter.com returns 301 to xcancel.com
✅ Browser redirects without security warnings
✅ You can browse Twitter content via xcancel
✅ URL bar shows xcancel.com, not twitter.com
✅ Works on all devices on your network

What Next?

Once everything is working:

Install CA on other devices (if using SSL):

Other computers
Mobile devices (iOS/Android)
Tablets

See SSL_SETUP_MKCERT.md for device-specific instructions.

Maintenance:

# View logs
docker compose logs -f nginx

# Update images
docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

# Restart services
docker compose restart

Set reminder: Certificate renewal in 825 days (OpenSSL) or when mkcert CA expires.

Advanced Testing

For more comprehensive testing, see:

TESTING_ADVANCED.md - End-to-end tests, network-wide verification, monitoring, performance testing, automated test scripts

Additional Resources

QUICK_REFERENCE.md - Commands cheat sheet
QUICKSTART.md - Setup guide
SSL_SETUP_MKCERT.md - SSL certificate setup
PIHOLE_SETUP.md - Pi-hole configuration
DNSMASQ_SETUP.md - dnsmasq configuration