Traceroute is a network diagnostic tool that maps the path packets take from your computer to a destination IP address. It shows every router (hop) along the way, along with the round-trip time for each hop.

How does traceroute work?

Traceroute sends packets with incrementally increasing TTL (Time To Live) values. Each router along the path decrements the TTL by 1. When TTL reaches 0, the router sends back an ICMP "Time Exceeded" message, revealing its address and the time it took.

What do the asterisks (*) mean in traceroute output?

Asterisks (*) indicate that a hop did not respond within the timeout period. This usually means the router is configured to not reply to traceroute probes, or there is a firewall blocking the response. It does not necessarily mean the route is broken.

Why would I use traceroute?

Traceroute helps diagnose network issues like high latency, packet loss, or routing problems. It shows exactly where in the network path a problem occurs, making it invaluable for troubleshooting connectivity issues.

Traceroute is a network diagnostic tool that maps the path packets take from the source to a destination. It reveals every router (hop) along the way and the round-trip time for each.

What do asterisks (*) mean?

Asterisks indicate a hop that did not respond within the timeout. The router may be configured to drop traceroute probes or a firewall is blocking responses. It does not always indicate a problem.

How many hops are traced?

Our traceroute traces up to 30 hops with a 3-second timeout per hop. Most destinations are reached within 15-20 hops.

Why can I only trace public IPs?

For security and legal reasons, we only allow tracing to public IP addresses. Private, reserved, and local IP addresses are blocked to prevent misuse.

Traceroute

Free

Trace the network path to any IP address. Visualize every hop between you and the destination.

This tool performs a traceroute to map the full network path between our server and the target IP address.

Information we can provide

•Hop-by-hop path tracing
•Round-trip time per hop
•Packet loss detection
•Real-time terminal output

Requires login. Registered: 2 scans/day • Premium: Unlimited. Only public IPv4 addresses allowed.

Network Traceroute

Trace the network path to any public IPv4 address.

Terminal Output

Ready

$Waiting for input...

How It Works

Enter IP Address

Enter a valid public IPv4 address you want to trace the route to.

Trace Route

Click "Trace" to start mapping every network hop between our server and the destination.

View Hops

Watch each hop appear in real-time showing router addresses, latency, and packet loss.

Features

Full Path Visibility

See every router between the source and destination, up to 30 hops.

Latency Per Hop

Measure round-trip time at each hop to identify where delays occur in the network.

Live Output

Watch traceroute results stream in real-time with a terminal-like interface.

How It Works

Features

Frequently Asked Questions

What is traceroute?

What do asterisks (*) mean?

How many hops are traced?

Why can I only trace public IPs?