Website Tracing: How to Perform and Check

Website tracing is a step-by-step process of checking the route that a network request from a user takes to reach a website’s server. It shows through which nodes (network points, routers) the traffic passes, how long each stage takes, and where delays or packet loss may occur.

Why tracing is needed:

• for diagnosing network issues (slow loading, resource unavailability);
• to identify overloaded or non-functioning segments of the route;
• when configuring servers or checking availability from different regions;
• for analyzing connection stability and provider performance.

How does packet tracing to a website work?

The tracing mechanism is based on using the TTL (Time To Live) parameter, which limits the number of allowed hops for a packet in the network. Initially, the system sends a request with TTL = 1, and the first router that receives the packet immediately discards it and notifies about it. The next request is sent with TTL = 2, then with TTL = 3, and so on, until the packet reaches the destination server. At each step, tracing records the IP address of the intermediate node and measures the response time.

Several requests are usually sent to each node to determine the average delay and detect possible packet loss. If a router does not respond, it may indicate either diagnostic packet filtering or node overload. It is important to note that a lack of response does not always indicate a problem: some network devices may be configured to ignore such requests.

The obtained information helps understand the route structure, identify segments with high delay or unstable communication, and determine where the problem lies – with the user, the provider, the backbone network, or on the hosting side.

Tools for performing tracing

To perform tracing, standard network utilities built into most operating systems are used. They allow determining the packet route to the target node and measuring the response time at each stage. The tool is selected depending on the platform used and the analysis goals.

On Windows, the tracert command is used, launched via the command prompt. Simply type tracert example.com, and the system will start sending packets step-by-step with increasing TTL values, displaying the IP addresses of all intermediate nodes and the response delay from each of them.

In Linux and macOS, the traceroute utility is used, which operates on the same principle. The command traceroute example.com will also show the route taken by the network request. Parameters can be specified if needed, such as packet type (UDP, ICMP) or the maximum number of hops.

There are also third-party programs:

1. WinMTR: combines tracing and continuous monitoring with packet loss and response time, convenient for analysing unstable connections;
2. PingPlotter: visualizes the route as a graph, useful for long-term observation and identifying congestion points;
3. VisualRoute: combines tracing with node geolocation, providing a visual map of the route.

How to perform tracing on a website?

To perform tracing on a website, use the built-in system utilities available in any modern operating system. The process is quite simple.

On Windows, open the command prompt (press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter), then run the command:

In Linux or macOS, open the terminal and use the command:

In both cases, replace example.com with the domain name or IP address of the desired site. The system will start sending packets, increasing the TTL value at each step to track the route to the endpoint.

How to check the tracing to a website?

The tracing result is a sequential list of network nodes (routers) through which packets pass. Each node is shown with its IP address and response time in milliseconds. Typically, three measurements are shown to assess connection stability. If * appears instead of the IP address, it means the device did not respond – either it is filtering requests or is unavailable.

For example, a line like:

means that the third node of the route with IP 192.0.2.1 responded to three requests with a delay of about 15 milliseconds. If there are sharp jumps in time or loss of response after a certain node, this may indicate a problem at that specific point in the route.

Thus, tracing helps not only to determine where the delay occurs, but also to understand how the traffic route is structured. This is useful when diagnosing situations where the site does not load despite other resources working normally.

FAQ

What is the difference between the traceroute command (Linux/macOS) and tracert (Windows)?

traceroute (Linux/macOS) uses UDP packets by default, while tracert (Windows) uses ICMP echo requests. Although both commands perform the same function, their differences in protocols can sometimes lead to different results, especially if firewalls block certain types of traffic.

How to determine which node causes delay or packet loss?

Delay or packet loss is usually indicated in the trace output. If the response time increases sharply or asterisks (*) appear after a certain hop, this indicates delay or packet loss at that node or further along the route.

Can tracing show a problem with the site itself or only with the route to it?

Tracing shows the packet route to the destination server (site). If all hops up to the last node (usually the site’s server) respond normally, but the site is unavailable, this may indicate a problem with the site itself or its server, not with the route to it.