How to Check Website Technology Stack in 2025

Introduction

Knowing what technologies power a website can provide valuable insights for competitive analysis, lead generation, and technical research. In this guide, we'll explore the most effective methods to identify website technologies in 2025.

Why Check Website Technologies?

Understanding a website's technology stack is valuable for many reasons:

Competitive Analysis

By knowing what tools and frameworks your competitors use, you can make informed decisions about your own technology choices and identify potential competitive advantages.

Lead Generation

Sales teams often target companies using specific technologies. For example, if you sell WordPress plugins, you'd want to find sites built with WordPress.

Technical Research

Developers can study how others implement solutions, discover new tools, and learn best practices by analyzing production websites.

Due Diligence

When evaluating potential acquisition targets or business partners, understanding their technical infrastructure is crucial.

Method 1: Manual Inspection

You can often identify technologies by manually examining a website:

Page Source

Right-click and select "View Page Source" to look for:

• Script tags that reveal frameworks (e.g., react-dom, vue.js, angular)
• CSS classes that follow naming conventions (e.g., BEM, Tailwind classes)
• Meta tags that indicate generators or frameworks
• Comment blocks that sometimes contain framework information

<!-- Example indicators -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/vue@2"></script>
<meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.4" />
<link href="/wp-content/themes/style.css" rel="stylesheet" />

Network Tab (Browser DevTools)

Open Developer Tools (F12) and check the Network tab:

• Look for characteristic file paths in loaded resources
• Check request headers for server information
• Examine JavaScript bundles for framework code

HTTP Headers

Use a tool like cURL or your browser to examine response headers:

curl -I https://example.com

Look for headers like:

• Server: Reveals the web server software
• X-Powered-By: May indicate the framework
• Set-Cookie: Can reveal technologies (e.g., cf_clearance for Cloudflare)

URL Patterns

Certain frameworks have characteristic URL structures:

| Framework | URL Pattern | | ----------- | ----------------------------- | | WordPress | /wp-content/, /wp-admin/ | | Shopify | /collections/, /products/ | | Squarespace | /s/ for static assets | | Django | Admin at /admin/ | | Laravel | Often uses /api/ endpoints |

Method 2: Browser Extensions

Browser extensions offer the most convenient way to detect technologies:

Wappalyzer

The most popular technology detector, available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. It identifies:

• CMS platforms
• E-commerce platforms
• JavaScript frameworks
• Analytics tools
• Marketing automation
• And hundreds more technologies

BuiltWith Technology Profiler

Provides detailed technology reports directly in your browser with information about:

• Content delivery networks
• SSL certificates
• Hosting providers
• Email services

Library Detector

Specialized extensions for specific libraries:

• React DevTools (for React apps)
• Vue.js devtools (for Vue apps)
• Angular DevTools

Method 3: Online Tools and APIs

Web services that analyze websites at scale:

WebScope

Comprehensive tech stack detection with:

• Real-time scanning (no cached data)
• Version detection when available
• Detection confidence scores
• Security insights alongside tech data
• API access for automation

BuiltWith

Offers:

• Extensive technology database
• Historical data tracking
• Lead generation lists
• Industry trend reports

WhatRuns

Extension-based detection with a web interface for:

• Quick technology lookups
• Category-based filtering
• Technology popularity tracking

Common Technology Signatures

Here are telltale signs of popular technologies:

React

• data-reactroot, data-reactid attributes
• __REACT__ hooks in window object
• React Developer Tools detection
• Virtual DOM patterns in source

Vue.js

• __vue__ property on DOM elements
• Vue DevTools detection
• v- prefixed directives in source
• Characteristic template syntax

Angular

• ng-version attribute on app root
• ng- prefixed attributes
• Angular-specific class names
• Zone.js in loaded scripts

WordPress

• /wp-content/, /wp-includes/ paths
• wp- prefixed CSS classes
• Generator meta tag
• REST API at /wp-json/

Shopify

• cdn.shopify.com resources
• Shopify.theme JavaScript object
• Characteristic liquid template artifacts

Cloudflare

• CF-Ray headers
• cloudflare-insights script
• cf_clearance cookies
• Specific error pages

Best Practices

When checking website technologies:

1. Use Multiple Methods: No single method catches everything. Combine tools for best results.
2. Be Aware of Masking: Some sites intentionally hide or fake their technology stack.
3. Keep Tools Updated: Technology signatures change frequently. Update your tools regularly.
4. Respect Terms of Service: Automated scraping may violate some websites' ToS.
5. Verify Results: Detection tools can have false positives. Verify important findings manually.

Advanced Techniques

For deeper analysis:

Fingerprinting Libraries

Examine JavaScript bundles for library patterns:

• Check for specific function names
• Look for characteristic variable naming
• Analyze bundle structure

DNS Analysis

DNS records can reveal hosting infrastructure:

• A records for server locations
• CNAME records for CDNs and services
• TXT records for verification services

SSL Certificate Analysis

Certificate information can show:

• Hosting provider (e.g., "Amazon")
• CDN service (e.g., "CloudFlare")
• Organization details

Conclusion

Website technology detection is a valuable skill for developers, marketers, and business analysts. While tools like WebScope make this process easy, understanding the underlying techniques helps you verify results and edge cases.

Ready to analyze a website's technology stack? Try WebScope's free scanner for comprehensive detection with security and performance insights included.