A small reference notebook
What a verified connection tells you
Check the requested name
A certificate check relates a connection to the name requested by the client. It is useful to preserve that check when investigating a failure. Removing the check can make one error disappear while losing the very property being examined.
Separate identity from content
A correctly identified endpoint can still return an error or an unexpected page. Read the response, rather than treating an established connection as proof that the requested work happened. Save a short description of the expected result before comparing it with the observed result.
Keep a small evidence trail
A timestamp, a requested name and a concise result often provide more useful context than a large undirected log. Keep sensitive account data out of shared notes. Repeat a check only when a new observation or a changed condition gives it a clear purpose.