Traceroute
See the routers between a place and a host, which network runs each one, and whether anything on the way is a real problem.
Results for render.github.com
Reached
Reached render.github.com in 12 hops, with no real problem on the way
Hetzner, then GitHub. 4 routers stayed silent, which is normal.
AS24940 Hetzner, then AS36459 GitHub
Delay does not always rise along the path: routers answer traceroute slowly while forwarding fast.
- This ran from one place. Choose "From other places" to trace from up to five.
Hops12
Hetzner: hops 2 to 8. GitHub: hops 9 to 12.
- 1_gateway4.2 ms
- 221298.
your-cloud. host0.99 ms - 3 to 42 routers didn't answer * * *
- 5core-spine-rdev2.
cloud2. fsn1. hetzner. com1.26 ms - 6core22.
fsn1. hetzner. com1.56 ms - 7core4.
fra. hetzner. com6.33 ms - 8core8.
fra. hetzner. com6.78 ms - 9140.
82. 127. 1426.92 ms - 10 to 112 routers didn't answer * * *
- 12render.
github. com5.58 ms
Network and country per hop are our best match to published routing and registry data, and can be wrong. A hop with no network shown had no match.
Times
| Hop | Host | Best | Avg | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | _gateway | 3.92 | 4.2 | 4.49 |
| 2 | 21298.your-cloud.host | 0.98 | 0.99 | 0.99 |
| 5 | core-spine-rdev2.cloud2.fsn1.hetzner.com | 1.26 | 1.26 | 1.26 |
| 6 | core22.fsn1.hetzner.com | 1.56 | 1.56 | 1.56 |
| 7 | core4.fra.hetzner.com | 6.33 | 6.33 | 6.34 |
| 8 | core8.fra.hetzner.com | 6.78 | 6.78 | 6.79 |
| 9 | 140.82.127.142 | 6.92 | 6.92 | 6.92 |
| 12 | render.github.com | 5.58 | 5.58 | 5.58 |
What we found3
GoodThe trace reached render.github.com in 12 hops and 5.6 ms
Note4 routers did not answer
That is normal: many routers ignore traceroute on purpose. Hops 3, 4, 10 and 11.
NoteThe biggest step is at hop 7: +4.8 ms
A step this small is the distance between two routers, not a fault.
How to read this
Each hop is a router that passed your test packets on. Routers answer traceroute themselves, slowly and sometimes not at all, while still forwarding real traffic quickly.
So a silent hop is normal. Loss at one hop that does not continue to the end is a router limiting its own replies. Only loss that starts at a hop and carries on to the target is real.
Hops with a private address belong to the network the test started from. An address in the shared range means your provider puts many customers behind one public address.
From Falkenstein, DE (Hetzner Online, AS24940 · data centre). Probes by Globalping.
Structured result (JSON) · 4.7 KB
{
"target": "render.github.com",
"type": "traceroute",
"protocol": "icmp",
"family": "auto",
"mode": "server",
"paths": [
{
"status": "finished",
"probe": {
"country": "DE",
"city": "Falkenstein",
"asn": 24940,
"network": "Hetzner Online",
"latitude": 50.48,
"longitude": 12.37,
"kind": "datacenter"
},
"reached": true,
"resolvedAddress": "140.82.121.3",
"hopCount": 12,
"answered": 8,
"finalMs": 5.58,
"asPath": [
{
"asn": 24940,
"name": "Hetzner Online GmbH"
},
{
"asn": 36459,
"name": "GitHub, Inc."
}
],
"hops": [
{
"ttl": 1,
"kind": "private",
"ip": "172.31.1.1",
"hostname": "_gateway",
"rtt": {
"min": 3.92,
"avg": 4.2,
"max": 4.49
}
},
{
"ttl": 2,
"kind": "public",
"ip": "162.55.115.170",
"hostname": "21298.your-cloud.host",
"rtt": {
"min": 0.98,
"avg": 0.99,
"max": 0.99
},
"asn": 24940,
"asName": "Hetzner Online GmbH",
"prefix": "162.55.0.0/16",
"country": "DE"
},
{
"ttl": 3,
"kind": "silent"
},
{
"ttl": 4,
"kind": "silent"
},
{
"ttl": 5,
"kind": "public",
"ip": "213.239.227.209",
"hostname": "core-spine-rdev2.cloud2.fsn1.hetzner.com",
"rtt": {
"min": 1.26,
"avg": 1.26,
"max": 1.26
},
"asn": 24940,
"asName": "Hetzner Online GmbH",
"prefix": "213.239.192.0/18",
"country": "DE"
},
{
"ttl": 6,
"kind": "public",
"ip": "213.239.227.214",
"hostname": "core22.fsn1.hetzner.com",
"rtt": {
"min": 1.56,
"avg": 1.56,
"max": 1.56
},
"asn": 24940,
"asName": "Hetzner Online GmbH",
"prefix": "213.239.192.0/18",
"country": "DE"
},
{
"ttl": 7,
"kind": "public",
"ip": "213.239.224.114",
"hostname": "core4.fra.hetzner.com",
"rtt": {
"min": 6.33,
"avg": 6.33,
"max": 6.34
},
"asn": 24940,
"asName": "Hetzner Online GmbH",
"prefix": "213.239.192.0/18",
"country": "DE",
"jump": 4.8
},
{
"ttl": 8,
"kind": "public",
"ip": "213.239.245.86",
"hostname": "core8.fra.hetzner.com",
"rtt": {
"min": 6.78,
"avg": 6.78,
"max": 6.79
},
"asn": 24940,
"asName": "Hetzner Online GmbH",
"prefix": "213.239.192.0/18",
"country": "FI"
},
{
"ttl": 9,
"kind": "public",
"ip": "140.82.127.142",
"rtt": {
"min": 6.92,
"avg": 6.92,
"max": 6.92
},
"asn": 36459,
"asName": "GitHub, Inc.",
"prefix": "140.82.112.0/20",
"country": "US"
},
{
"ttl": 10,
"kind": "silent"
},
{
"ttl": 11,
"kind": "silent"
},
{
"ttl": 12,
"kind": "destination",
"ip": "140.82.121.3",
"hostname": "render.github.com",
"rtt": {
"min": 5.58,
"avg": 5.58,
"max": 5.58
},
"asn": 36459,
"asName": "GitHub, Inc.",
"prefix": "140.82.112.0/20",
"country": "GB"
}
],
"diagnosis": [
{
"code": "REACHED",
"tone": "success",
"text": "The trace reached render.github.com in 12 hops and 5.6 ms."
},
{
"code": "SILENT_HOPS",
"tone": "info",
"text": "4 routers did not answer. That is normal: many routers ignore traceroute on purpose.",
"hops": [
3,
4,
10,
11
]
},
{
"code": "JUMP",
"tone": "info",
"text": "The biggest step is at hop 7: +4.8 ms. A step this small is the distance between two routers, not a fault.",
"hops": [
7
]
}
]
}
],
"meet": null,
"measurementId": "2EGeN6CQbXX6zpQft00021Vh6",
"startedAt": "2026-11-15T19:16:18.197Z",
"incomplete": false
}Next step
- IP lookupWho runs the slow hop?Check render.github.com in IP lookup
- Ping from many placesDoes the target answer from other places?Check render.github.com in Ping from many places
- Port checkerIs port 443 open on it?Check render.github.com in Port checker
How to read a traceroute
A traceroute lists the routers that handed your test packets on, one line per router, in order. Each line is a hop. The number at the start is how many routers away it is, the name or address says which router answered, and the time says how long the answer took to come back. The last line should be the host you asked about.
Most people open a traceroute because something is slow or does not load, and then find a wall of numbers. The useful question is narrow: is there one place on the path where things go wrong, and who runs it? We answer that first, in a sentence, and keep the full list underneath for anyone who wants to check our reading.
What we add to the plain list
A raw traceroute gives you addresses. We look each public address up in our network data and show the network that runs it, so a long path reads as a few stages: your provider, a carrier in the middle, the network of the host you reached. The networks are also listed in order as one short line.
- Private and shared addresses are marked. Hops inside the probe network are private; an address in the shared range means your provider puts many customers behind one public address (CGNAT).
- The biggest step in delay is highlighted, measured against the previous router that answered, not against the largest number on the page. A step between two continents is named as an ocean crossing, because that cost is expected.
- Internet exchanges get a small mark when a hop sits on the peering network of an exchange we know. The list is short, so a missing mark proves nothing.
- Silent routers are folded into one line, so a thirty hop path stays short enough to read.
The network and country for each hop come from public routing and registry data and are our best match. They can be missing or wrong, and a hop with nothing shown simply had no match.
How to use it
- Enter a hostA domain name or a public IP address. A web address works too: we take the host from it. Private and local addresses are refused, because a trace from outside cannot reach them.
- Choose where it runsFrom our server is one place. From other places lets you pick a part of the world, or type a country, a city, a network such as AS7922 or a cloud region, with up to five places at once.
- Pick a protocol if you need toICMP is the default. TCP on port 443 gets through more firewalls, and UDP is the classic traceroute. You can also ask for IPv4 or IPv6 only.
- Read the verdictThe headline says whether the target was reached and whether anything is really wrong. The hop list, the delay chart and the findings sit underneath.
- Share itCopy the link to send the same result to someone else. Saved results are kept by the probe network for a limited time, and after that the page offers to run it again.
Why some hops show nothing
A row of three stars means a router did not answer the test. That is common and usually harmless. Many routers are set to ignore these packets, or to answer them last, while still passing real traffic at full speed.
- Silent hops in the middle of a path, followed by hops that answer, are normal.
- A path that goes quiet and never comes back may be a firewall that drops traceroute. Check the host with a ping or by testing the port with the port checker before calling it down.
- A delay that jumps at one router and falls again right after is a slow router, not a slow path.
- A delay that jumps and stays high is worth a closer look at that hop and the network that runs it.
We say which of these you are looking at. When a trace stops, we name the last router that answered and leave the conclusion to you.
Where it runs and what is sent
A trace needs packets sent from somewhere, and a website cannot send them from your computer. We run traces through Globalping, a free network of volunteer machines in data centres and on home connections. The place you see in the result is the machine that ran the trace.
From our server, our server asks Globalping for one place, and Globalping sees the host and our server address. From other places, your browser asks Globalping itself, but only after you accept a one-time notice, and Globalping then sees the host and your IP address. Without JavaScript, or from the API, our server asks on your behalf. The privacy page says the same in full.
Questions people ask
What is a hop?
A hop is one router on the path. Your packets pass from router to router, and each handoff is one hop. A short path can be six or seven hops and a long one thirty or more.
Why do some hops show no answer?
Many routers ignore traceroute on purpose, or answer it with low priority. A silent hop on its own is normal. It matters only when the path goes quiet and never reaches the host.
The trace stopped before the host. Is the site down?
Not necessarily. Many firewalls drop traceroute packets while the site works fine. Try the host with a ping from several places, or check that the port is open with the port checker, before you decide.
Should I use ICMP, UDP or TCP?
ICMP is the default and works for most paths. If it stops at a firewall, TCP on port 443 usually gets further, because firewalls tend to allow web traffic. UDP is the traditional traceroute and is the one most often filtered.
Why does the delay not rise steadily along the path?
Routers answer traceroute themselves, and that is slower than forwarding your traffic. A router in the middle can answer in 40 ms while the rest of the path is fast. That is why we compare each hop with the one before it and look at what comes after.
Can I trace an address on my own network?
No. Private, loopback and other non-public addresses are refused, because a probe on the internet cannot reach them. To trace inside your own network, run traceroute on your own computer.
Can an AI assistant or a script run it?
Yes. The same trace is available as the traceroute tool in the REST API and the MCP server, with the hops, the networks and the findings as data. From the API at most five places run per request.
Use it from AI, the API or the command line
Every LookupOwl tool is also a free API and an MCP tool, with no key and no account. This one is traceroute. Please be kind to the rate limits.
curl "https://lookupowl.com/api/v1/tools/traceroute?q=github.com&preset=europe"claude mcp add --transport http lookupowl https://lookupowl.com/mcp