FAQ

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What Problems Does nxthdr Solve?

In short, nxthdr is an open platform for Internet measurement research, with a focus on active measurements, passive BGP data collection, and network analysis tooling. It’s designed to be accessible to everyone, with no restrictions on data access or usage.

All data collected is released into the public domain, and all tools and systems are open source.

How Can I Help?

Glad you asked! There are many ways to contribute to nxthdr:

• Probing Platform: Check out our measurement limitations to see how you can help improve the probing infrastructure.

• Peering Platform: We’re looking to expand our presence at IXPs. If you’re affiliated with an IXP and would like to support us, please contact us.

You can also support the project by spreading the word, sharing your research using nxthdr data, and encouraging others to contribute. The more people use and contribute to nxthdr, the better it becomes for everyone.

Can Someone Scoop My Results?

A core principle of nxthdr is to make all collected data immediately available to everyone, without delay, restriction, or authentication. This means that when you send probes, the resulting replies are visible to anyone in real time.

However, your measurements are anonymous:

• Probe source addresses are randomized.
• No user-identifiable data is included in public datasets.

So while others may see your data, they won’t know it was you, nor will they know your measurement purpose or methodology.

We believe this approach maximizes the reusability of data while minimizing the risk of being “scooped”, since interpreting the data meaningfully requires context only you possess.

Do I Need to Add nxthdr Members as Authors in My Paper?

Absolutely not. nxthdr is an open platform—you are free to use it without adding anyone as a co-author. All data is public domain.

However, we do encourage you to cite the platform in your work to help promote it and support further contributions. See How to cite us for details.

Also, please refer to our Publication Guidelines to ensure good practices in data usage, integrity, and reproducibility.

The only time it makes sense to include an nxthdr member as a co-author is if you’ve actively collaborated with them. For example, on a custom dataset, experiment design, or joint analysis. In such cases, consider using CRediT roles to clearly define each contributor’s involvement.

And just to be clear: collaborating with one nxthdr member does not mean you need to include others who were not directly involved in your project.