Traceroute

How do I run a traceroute online?

Reviewed by Prabath Thalangama · Last updated October 23, 2026

Enter a host name or IP address and this tool traces the route from our servers to it, up to 30 hops, waiting two seconds for each. It lists every router that replies with its round-trip time, and flags hops that never answer, so you can see where along the path delay or loss begins.

Each hop is a router that decremented the packet's TTL and sent back an error. Many routers don't reply to these probes, or answer slowly because replying is low priority for them; a * at one hop with normal hops after it is not a problem.

The meaningful sign is a jump in latency that carries on through every following hop, or a point after which nothing answers at all.

How do I read a traceroute?

Enter the destination host name or address.
Read the hops from the top: the first few are our provider's network, the last should be the target.
Look for where latency rises and stays high, or where replies stop for good.

How to read the results

Hop: Position along the path, starting at 1.
Host / IP: The router's reverse DNS name and address. Names often reveal the network operator and city.
RTT: Round-trip time to that router in milliseconds. A router's reply time is not the same as the delay it adds to traffic passing through.
Findings: No hops responding at all (critical), or how many hops timed out (warning).

Common traceroute patterns

Stars at the end, but the site works

The destination or its firewall drops the probes. Nothing is wrong with the service; test it with the HTTP or port checker.

Latency jumps at one hop and stays high

That link is congested or long (an undersea cable, for example). If it's in your provider's network, send them the traceroute.

The same hops repeat

A routing loop between two routers. Contact the network operator shown in those hops' names.

Examples and command-line equivalents

Trace from your own machine

traceroute -m 30 example.com     # Linux / macOS
tracert -h 30 example.com        # Windows
mtr -rwc 20 example.com          # traceroute and ping combined

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between traceroute and tracert?

They are the same idea. tracert is the Windows command and uses ICMP by default; Linux traceroute traditionally uses UDP probes. mtr combines traceroute and ping into a continuous report.

Why does the route differ from the one I see?

Our trace starts from our servers, so the first hops and often the whole route differ from yours. Internet routing is also often asymmetric: the return path can be different from the outbound one.