What this tool does
Enter a URL and the tool fetches the page, then looks for signs of the software behind it: response headers, script and stylesheet paths, meta tags and recognisable code patterns. It lists what it recognised, such as a CMS, e-commerce platform, JavaScript framework, analytics tool or CDN, with the evidence for each.
How detection works
It is signature matching. For example, a wp-content path points to WordPress, a Shopify script points to Shopify, and a cf-ray header points to Cloudflare. Everything it reports comes from what is publicly visible in that one request.
Why it can be incomplete or wrong
- It only reads the first page. Technology used on other pages or behind a login won’t show.
- Server-side software is mostly invisible. PHP or Laravel often leave no trace, and some sites remove version headers.
- Single-page apps that render everything with JavaScript may reveal less in the initial HTML.
- A match is not proof. A theme or a plugin can copy another product’s markers, and sites can fake them.
- Versions are guesses at best. Don’t treat a detected version as the real one.
Good uses
Looking at what a client’s current site runs before you quote for a migration, checking which analytics scripts load, or confirming that a CDN is actually in front of your site.
Only use it on sites you have a reason to look at. It makes a normal public request and reads public data.
Results are cached for 30 minutes. Up to 12 checks a minute are allowed. For WordPress theme details, there is a separate WordPress Theme Detector.
Can it show every plugin or library a site uses?
No. It reports what is visible in the first page and its headers, so anything hidden or loaded later is missed.
Is the detected version reliable?
Treat versions as hints. They come from visible markers that may be outdated or removed.
Why does it find nothing on some sites?
The site may block automated requests, render only with JavaScript, or hide its identifying markers.
Is this legal to use on other people’s sites?
It requests a normal public page and reads what a browser would see. Don’t use it for anything abusive.
What does it look at to detect a technology?
Response headers, script and stylesheet paths, meta tags and recognisable code patterns in the first page it fetches.