Traceroute
See the hop-by-hop path to a target.
Enter a target
e.g. example.com veya 8.8.8.8 — press ⏎ / ⌘⏎
What is Traceroute?
Traceroute maps the path to a target hop by hop, showing each step's IP, hostname where available, and round-trip times — the tool for finding where a route slows down or breaks.
Hops showing asterisks mean that router doesn't emit ICMP TTL-exceeded messages, or rate-limits them; that alone is not a fault. What matters is asterisks continuing all the way to the target.
High latency at a middle hop is usually misleading: intermediate routers deprioritise ICMP replies. It's only a real problem if latency stays high for every hop after it.
Frequently Asked Questions
7 questionsWhy do some hops show asterisks (*)?
That router doesn't emit ICMP TTL-exceeded messages, or rate-limits them. The path may still work fine; asterisks alone are not a fault. What matters is asterisks continuing all the way to the target.
A middle hop shows high latency — is the problem there?
Usually not. Intermediate routers deprioritise ICMP replies, so their own RTT looks inflated. It's only a real problem if latency stays high for every hop after it.
How many hops should there be?
Typical internet paths run 8-20 hops. Hitting 30 without reaching the target means a routing loop or an unreachable network — the same IP repeating is the clearest sign of a loop.
Why do traceroute and ping show different paths?
Modern networks spread traffic across equal-cost paths (ECMP). Each probe may take a different route, so two consecutive traceroutes can show different intermediate hops.
Which protocol does traceroute use?
By default it sends UDP packets with increasing TTL and listens for the returning ICMP TTL-exceeded messages. Some networks filter UDP, so the path can look incomplete while the target is still reachable.
Why is the path different each time?
Large networks spread traffic across equal-cost paths (ECMP) and each probe can take a different one. BGP routing also changes during the day.
If it never reaches the target, where's the problem?
The hop where asterisks begin is where replies stop, not necessarily where the fault is. Test the target separately with ping, and if you can, ask for a traceroute in the reverse direction.