How to check if a host is reachable?

Question

boolean reachable = false;

while (true){
    Socket socket = null;
    while (reachable == false && (System.currentTimeMillis() < (CUR_TIME + 1000))){
        try {
            socket = new Socket(hostname, 80);
            reachable = true;
        } catch ( UnknownHostException e) {
            reachable = false;
        }
    }
}

I want to eventually call status = httpConnection.getResponseCode(); , but if the user inputs an unreachable host, there is an error. Therefore, I'm using the above code to make sure the host is available. However, reachable always returns as false, even if the host is in good standing (as shown by other methods).

Answer 1

HttpURLConnection :

try{
    URL url = new URL("http://tes23123t.com");
    HttpURLConnection connection = (HttpURLConnection)url.openConnection();
    connection.setRequestMethod("GET");
    connection.connect();
    int respCode = connection.getResponseCode();
    System.out.println(respCode);
}catch(UnknownHostException e){
    System.out.println("Unknown Host!!");
}

Or you could use OKHttp library if you prefer easier implementation