Route Tracer

Trace the complete internet route from our global probes to your target. See every hop and identify where packets travel.

What This Checks

Multi-region tracerouteHop-by-hop latencyRTT visualizationPacket loss detectionDestination reach status

About Traceroute

Visual traceroute tool that shows the complete network path between our global probes and your target. Identify routing issues and network hops.

Key Features

Multi-region traceroute

Hop-by-hop latency

RTT visualization

Packet loss detection

Destination reach status

Also Available via API & MCP Server

Automate traceroute checks in your CI/CD pipelines or run them directly from your AI coding agent.

REST API

Single endpoint, JSON response. Integrate into any language or platform.

cURL

curl -X POST https://probeops.com/api/v1/run \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"tool": "traceroute", "target": "example.com"}'

Learn more about the API

MCP Server

Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible IDE.

Claude Code

> Check the traceroute for example.com

Claude uses the probeops_traceroute tool to run
the check from 6 global regions and returns
structured results.

Learn more about the MCP Server

Route tracing shows the path your data takes across the internet—every router "hop" between you and your destination. When a website is slow or unreachable, route tracing helps answer "where is the problem?" by showing exactly which network segments are responding (or not).

Think of it like tracking a package: you see each stop along the way, how long it spent at each location, and where it might be stuck. Asterisks (*) in results mean a router didn't respond—often normal due to firewall rules, not necessarily a problem. Our route tracer runs from 6+ global locations so you can see the path from different parts of the world.

New to route tracing? Start here, then use uptime checking to verify if a site is actually down, or port checking to test if specific services are accessible.

**Methodology:** Standard traceroute (ICMP/UDP) from 6 regions showing each hop's response time and hostname resolution.

Common Errors & How to Fix Them

3 relevant issues

What This Means

The traceroute couldn't complete—no response received from destination. Packets may be blocked by a firewall, or the destination is unreachable.

How to Fix

1) Verify destination is reachable: ping target.com. 2) Try different protocols: traceroute -I (ICMP) vs traceroute -U (UDP) vs traceroute -T (TCP). 3) Check if destination firewall blocks traceroute. 4) Test from different source location. Some hosts simply block all traceroute traffic.

traceroute timeoutno responsedestination unreachable

What This Means

Traceroute shows the same IP addresses repeating. Packets are going in circles due to misconfigured routing tables.

How to Fix

1) Note the IPs involved in the loop. 2) If it's within your network: check router configurations for circular routes. 3) If it's external: report to ISP with traceroute output. 4) Try alternative route: use VPN to bypass problematic path. Routing loops are usually resolved within hours by network operators.

routing loopcircular routerepeating hops

What This Means

Traceroute shows hops up to a point, then only asterisks. Traffic is being blocked or dropped at that hop.

How to Fix

1) Identify the last responding hop—that's where blocking occurs. 2) Check if it's your ISP, a transit provider, or destination's network. 3) Try TCP traceroute: traceroute -T -p 443 target.com. 4) Contact the network operator if it's a provider issue. 5) If destination's network, firewall is blocking.

partial traceroutestopsblockedasterisks

See all errors →

Frequently Asked Questions

3 relevant questions

Traceroute shows the path network packets take from source to destination, revealing each router (hop) along the way. It works by sending packets with increasing TTL (Time To Live) values—each router decrements TTL and returns a response when it reaches zero. This maps the complete route and measures latency at each hop.

traceroutebasics

Asterisks indicate the router at that hop didn't respond within the timeout period. Common reasons: firewall blocking ICMP/UDP, router configured to deprioritize or ignore traceroute packets, or rate limiting. If subsequent hops respond normally, it's not a problem—some routers simply don't respond to diagnostic traffic.

traceroutetroubleshooting

Ping tests if a destination is reachable and measures round-trip time, but only shows the final result. Traceroute shows every hop along the path, helping you identify WHERE problems occur—not just that there IS a problem. Use ping for quick reachability checks; use traceroute to diagnose routing issues.

traceroutecomparison

See all FAQs →

How to Read Traceroute ResultsStep-by-step guide with examples and troubleshooting tips