diff --git a/src/utils/connectivity_check.lua b/src/utils/connectivity_check.lua
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6c36ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/connectivity_check.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+local socket = require("socket")
+local connectivity_check = {}
+
+function connectivity_check.is_backend_online()
+    -- Attempt to open a socket connection to Render backend api
+    local connection = socket.tcp()
+    connection:settimeout(2) -- 2 seconds timeout
+    local success, err = connection:connect("zync-pd9r.onrender.com", 80)
+    if success then
+        connection:close()
+        return true
+    else
+        return false
+    end
+end
+
+return connectivity_check