Skip to main content
Book Consultation →
Network testing100% FreeInstant

Traceroute: Trace the Route to Any IP or Domain

This free online traceroute shows every router between our server and a destination. Enter an IPv4 address or a domain to see each hop, its address and its response time, and to spot where delay or loss begins.

By Debmedia Technologies LLP · Kolkata, India · Updated

What Is a Traceroute?

A traceroute lists every router that a packet passes on its way to a destination. The internet is a chain of networks, and a traceroute shows that chain one hop at a time, with the delay at each step. It is the main tool for finding where a connection becomes slow or breaks.

This online traceroute runs from our server to the IPv4 address or domain you enter. It shows the hops in order, which gives you a clear picture of the path.

How to Use This Traceroute Tool

  1. Enter an IPv4 address or a domain, such as 8.8.8.8 or example.com.
  2. Press Trace route and wait up to 30 seconds. Each hop needs time to answer.
  3. Read the hops from top to bottom. Hop 1 is closest to our server and the last hop is the destination.
  4. Look at the response time and loss on each hop.

How a Traceroute Works

Every packet carries a time-to-live (TTL) value that drops by one at each router. When it reaches zero, the router discards the packet and sends an error back. A traceroute sends probes with TTL 1, 2, 3 and so on, and each error reveals one more router. The idea is old, and an early proposal appears in RFC 1393, an early traceroute proposal.

What you seeWhat it usually means
Steady, rising timesNormal. Each hop adds a little distance.
One slow hop, then fast hopsThat router replies slowly to probes, but forwards traffic well.
Delay that stays high to the endA real congestion point or a long link, such as an ocean crossing.
No reply at the last hopsThe destination or a firewall blocks probes. The site may still work.

Tips for Reading a Traceroute

  • Judge loss and delay by the last hops. A problem shown only in the middle is often harmless.
  • Hostnames and owners reveal who runs each network. Look up an address with the IP owner lookup.
  • Compare with a simple test from the online ping tool to see the end-to-end time.
  • Run the trace more than once. Routes and loads change from minute to minute.

Good to Know

The route is measured from our data centre, so it is not the path from your own device. The first hops are private addresses inside our hosting network, and we hide them because they are not useful to you. If the destination is a domain, you can first confirm its address with the domain address finder.

Frequently Asked Questions

It sends probe packets with a rising time-to-live value. Each router that drops a packet reports back, which reveals the path one hop at a time.
Some routers do not answer probes, or rate-limit them. A star in the middle of a route is common and does not mean a problem if later hops respond.
If only one hop is slow but later hops are fast, that router is just slow at replying to probes. Real trouble shows as delay or loss that continues to the end.
The first hops are private addresses inside our hosting network. We hide them because they are not useful to you and belong to our provider.

Disclaimer: results come from live requests and can change as records and servers change. We cannot guarantee that every answer matches what every visitor sees.