help:frequently asked questions

1. How to compete?
2. What do I need to compete?
3. I'm not in the toplist. What did I do wrong?
4. Can I use one account for more than one computer?
5. I forgot my password. What shall I do now?
6. How do I personalize my profile?
7. What data is send when updating using the clients?
8. What about privacy? Why do I have to specify an email-address when registering?
9. How do I use an Uptime-Image in my forum-signature?
10. Why isn't my uptime shown on my Uptime-Image? How frequently do the images get updated?
11. Why is the project not open source?
12. Why does the UptimeProject Windows client get flagged by some antivirus software?

1. How to compete?

You just have to create an account (see Register) and download a client for your operating system (see Download). After filling in your token you are able to update your uptime to our database.

2. What do I need to compete?

You just need a computer, an internet-connection (there is no need for a permanent connection) and the Uptime-Client for your operating system. Furthermore you have to create an account (see Register).

3. I'm not in the toplist. What did I do wrong?

You are only listed if you update your uptime at least every few days.

4. Can I use one account for more than one computer?

Yes, just generate token and run client, the system will take care of everything else

5. I forgot my password. What shall I do now?

You can request your password (see Login) and it will be sent to the email-address used to registering.

6. How do I personalize my profile?

You are able to edit your profile after logging in into your account (see Login).

7. What data is send when updating using the clients?

Only your token, current uptime, name of used operating system is send to our servers. If you want you can enable additional information submit (cpu model, ram size, etc..). Later it can be used to generate images with such information.

8. What about privacy? Why do I have to specify an email-address when registering?

The data used for registering will not be publicized or passed to somebody. The E-Mail-address is only used to activate your account, resend your password if you forget it and to receive a newsletter (you can disable receiving the newsletter in your profile).

9. How do I use an Uptime-Image in my forum-signature?

Most boards/forums don't allow HTML-Code in the signature, so you have to use BB-Code instead. You can view the BB-Code for your Uptime-Image in your profile.

NOTE: There are forums that don't allow the PNG-format used for the image in the standard settings. But this setting can mostly be changed by the forum-administration.

10. Why isn't my uptime shown on my Uptime-Image? How frequently do the images get updated?

The Uptime-Images get updated every 30 minutes. So if your Uptime-Image does not show your uptime or does show the wrong uptime please update your uptime using the client and wait 30 minutes for the image to update.

11. Why is the project not open source?

Making the source code publicly available whether for the client or server would introduce significant security risks and allow users to manipulate their uptime records.
1. Preventing Cheating
If users had access to the source code, they could modify the client or reverse-engineer the server’s submission process. This would allow them to fake uptime reports, undermining the integrity of the project.
2. Ensuring Data Authenticity
Without a secure, closed system, it would be possible for users to send arbitrary uptime data, making it difficult to differentiate between real and manipulated submissions. Keeping the core logic private helps maintain trust in the reported data.
3. Protecting the Submission Process
A fully open-source client would expose how uptime is recorded and transmitted, making it easier to forge or override records. By keeping certain parts closed, we can implement secure verification mechanisms that reduce the risk of falsified data.

While transparency is important, in this case, keeping critical parts of the system private is necessary to ensure a fair and reliable uptime tracking service.

12. Why does the UptimeProject Windows client get flagged by some antivirus software?

Some antivirus tools may detect the UptimeProject Windows client as potentially unwanted software. This happens due to several reasons:

1. Strong Cryptography and Obfuscation
To prevent reverse engineering and tampering, the client binary is protected using strong cryptography and obfuscation techniques. While this enhances security, some antivirus programs may flag such measures as suspicious.
2. Lack of Code Signing Certificate
We currently do not sign the Windows client binary with a certificate from a well-known provider because code-signing certificates are expensive. Unfortunately, unsigned executables are more likely to be flagged by security software.
3. False Positives
These detections are false positives, and we assure you that the software is completely safe. In the future, we will work with antivirus vendors to reduce or eliminate these misclassifications.

If your antivirus flags the client, you can manually whitelist it. We recommend downloading the software only from our official website to ensure authenticity.

If you still have questions don't hesitate to contact our support using the E-Mail or our support-chat.