Since 2006, we’ve been building the world’s largest database tracking which parts of the internet run on renewable power – the Green Web Dataset. The Dataset powers a lot of our open source work, including the Green Web Check, Green Web Directory, and our Greencheck API. Over 7 million checks per day are made against the Dataset, and it is essential infrastructure for major software carbon estimation projects like Website Carbon Calculator, Ecograder, and WebPageTest. Our Green Web Directory, used by thousands each month, allows people to query the Dataset to find verified green hosting options in their country.
Hosting providers get verified with us to become included in the Dataset as a way to publicly show their commitment towards the mission of a fossil-free internet by 2030. Once a hosting provider is verified, checks performed against websites hosted by that provider show as green in our API and Green Web Check. We’ve written an FAQ to explain in more detail how the Green Web Check works.
From time to time, though, the status of a hosting provider might change and they are no longer recognised by us as a verified green hosting provider. This blog post explains the process around the archiving of hosting providers within the Green Web Dataset.
TL;DR
There are three common reasons for a hosting provider being archived in the Green Web Dataset:
- They fail to reverify with us (read about this scenario)
- We’re no longer able to contact them (read about this scenario)
- They rely on the status of another provider which has been archived (read about this scenario)
When a hosting provider is archived, any Green Web Checks for domains hosted by that provider will no longer show as “green”. This can affect thousands to millions of checks per month.
1. The provider has failed to reverify with us
Reverification is our term for the process where a previously verified green hosting provider submits updated evidence to show that they continue to meet the criteria for being listed as a green provider.
We ask providers to reverify on a yearly basis. If a provider is unable to successfully reverify with us, then we will archive that provider in our Dataset. At that time, they are no longer recognised as a green hosting provider, and Green Web Checks for sites hosted by that provider will show as grey.
We have written about the reverification process in more detail in this FAQ: What is reverification for hosting providers?
The reverification process
The reverification process is manual, and involves a significant involvement from Green Web Foundation staff. As a result, we batch reverification for providers and run the process three times per year – February, June, and October. During each reverification window, we contact around 100 to 150 providers in our Dataset asking them to share updated evidence with us.
During this time, we ask some providers in the Green Web Dataset to share updated evidence which allows us to reverify their green status.
2. We have been unable to contact the provider
As part of the verification process for a hosting provider, we require someone from that company to create a user account in our Provider Portal. In this way, that individual or team can routinely update the information in our Dataset about that provider. This is important for two reasons:
- It allows the provider to update the IP ranges used by that provider. These play an important role in our Green Web Check, allowing us to identify domains that are hosted on verified green providers.
- It allows us to send a reminder to the provider to reverify themselves with us.
Sometimes, we notice that emails bounce as people leave organisations or companies merge. When this happens, we:
- Will try to find a suitable contact. This is normally the hosting provider’s support or sales mailbox, or sometimes through other channels we are aware of.
- Will allow 45 days for a reply (with periodic reminders).
If no reply is received after 45 days, we will archive that provider in our Dataset. At that time, they are no longer recognised as a green hosting provider, and Green Web Checks for sites hosted by that provider will show as grey.
There are a few providers from whom we are missing a user account
Over the years of maintaining the Green Web Dataset, members of our team have added green hosting providers to the Dataset. Sometimes, this was the result of support requests that were made by members of the community. Other times, it may have been through direct contact with the providers themselves.
This was manageable in the past, when the Dataset was small and the ways we verified green hosting providers were less robust. However, as our own requirements for verification have evolved so have means by which providers make claims about being green web hosts. Sometimes, these claims rely on documents that the organisation may want/need to keep private and, as such, we have no way of verifying these documents without someone from inside the organisation being able to share them with us.
We have identified a half-dozen providers in our Dataset who fall into this category. At this time, we are exploring a number of internal channels to find suitable contacts with these organisations who might be able to help.
What happens if we can’t find owners for these providers?
If we are not able to find owners for these providers by January 15th, 2025 then we will begin the process of archived them in our dataset.
3. The provider was relying on the green status of another provider that has been archived
A provider can be listed in our Dataset as a verified green host if they are an active customer or reseller of another service which is also recognised as green in our Dataset. When this happens, the provider’s green status is reliant on that of the upstream service they use.
If, for the reasons we have listed above, the upstream provider’s green status changes (becomes archived) then that will also impact any downstream providers of that service listed in our Dataset. Whenever we are reverifying an upstream provider, we make sure to let
Once an upstream service is archived, we notify all linked providers. The linked providers then enter the regular reverification process, described above. In the next reverification they are asked to provide updated evidence to independently support their listing in our Dataset.
What happens when a hosting provider is archived?
When a provider listing is archived, that provider will no longer appear in our Green Web Directory. Additionally, websites hosted by that provider will no longer be shown as “hosted green” by our Green Web Check or Greencheck API. In some cases, for large providers, this has the potential to impact tens of millions of Green Web Checks every month.
Providers can be unarchived by providing updated evidence through the Provider Portal or by contacting our Support mailbox.
