How to find out what technology a website uses

Most of a site's stack leaves fingerprints in its headers and HTML. Here is where to look, by hand and with tools.

1. HTTP response headers

curl -sI https://vercel.com

Look at server (nginx, Apache, cloudflare, Vercel …), x-powered-by (PHP, Express, Next.js …), and platform-specific headers such as cf-ray (Cloudflare), x-vercel-id (Vercel) or x-served-by (Fastly). For vercel.com the answer is right there: server: Vercel, x-powered-by: Next.js, Payload. In the browser: DevTools → Network → click the page request → Headers.

2. The page source

curl -s https://wordpress.org | grep -oiE '<meta name="generator"[^>]*>'

A generator meta tag names many CMSs outright (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Wix, Hugo …). Otherwise search the source (Ctrl+U) for telltale paths and scripts: /wp-content/ (WordPress), cdn.shopify.com (Shopify), /_next/ (Next.js), googletagmanager.com (Google Tag Manager / Analytics), connect.facebook.net (Meta Pixel). Sites can hide or fake all of these, so treat them as strong hints, not proof.

3. DNS: email and hosting

MX records show the email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 …) and TXT records often show verified services (site verifications, SPF includes for mail tools). Look them up with the free DNS lookup.

4. Detector extensions and lookup sites

Wappalyzer (extension) and BuiltWith (website and extension) are the best-known detectors: they apply thousands of fingerprints like the ones above and show the result per page. Both offer free single-site lookups; bulk lists and history are paid.

5. A whole list of websites

For lead lists, competitor sets or market research you need the same check for hundreds of sites in one table. Our Website Technology Detector on Apify checks 130+ technologies per site (CMS, ecommerce platform, JS framework, hosting/CDN, analytics and ad pixels, chat, payments, cookie consent, plus the email provider from MX records) and returns one row per site as CSV, Excel or JSON. Billed per site.

Frequently asked questions

Can a website hide its technology?

Partly. Headers can be removed and generator tags deleted, but scripts, file paths and DNS records usually still give it away. Detectors report what they can see, so a missing technology is not proof it isn't used.

How do I see which analytics a site uses?

Search the page source or DevTools → Network for googletagmanager.com, google-analytics.com, plausible.io, matomo, connect.facebook.net and similar script hosts.

How do I tell if a site is built with WordPress?

Look for /wp-content/ or /wp-json/ in the source or headers, or a generator meta tag naming WordPress.

Which hosting provider does a site use?

Check the server and platform headers, then the IP address's owner (whois on the A record) and the NS records from the DNS lookup.

Written with AI assistance. The curl commands were run against the sites shown on 2026-10-01. The Apify tool is ours; the APIs are free to call directly.