When you’re on a fast, reliable website, you might be asking yourself “What hosting is this site on?” Checking a website’s web hosting is easier than you think. Perhaps you want to learn more about a competitor, get some ideas for your own hosting setup or perhaps you are just curious.
In this tutorial, we’ll show beginners how to find who is hosting a website using online tools, DNS lookups and server information. And you don’t have to be a geek to do that.
Why Should You Check a Website’s Hosting Provider?
There are many reasons you might want to know where a site is hosted:
Performance Benchmarking
Cloud VPS hosting might be an option if your site loads fast.
Competitor Research
When building or upgrading their site, many businesses often look at the hosting environments of their competitors.
Security Insight
Good security reputations make for safer web hosts.
Better Decision Making
Knowing what providers others use can help you decide if you are going to start a new site .
Step 1: Use Online Hosting Checker Tools
The easiest way to find out who owns a website is by using online tools. In seconds they look up your DNS records, IP addresses and server data to find out who is hosting your site.
1. HostingChecker.com
Just put in the url of the website and it will tell you:
- Business Name Hosting.
- Where is the server?
- IP Address
- Name Server
2. Whois.com
WHOIS will tell you who owns a domain, and where it is hosted from. Type domain and you will get:
- Server Info
- Information for Registration
- Name servers
- IP & Web Hosting Services
3. BuiltWith.com
BuiltWith takes it a step further, stating:
- Infrastructure Hosting:
- CDN (Cloudflare, Akamai, etc.)
- Tech stack
- Analytic programmes
4. SiteChecker.pro Hosting Checker
A simple tool for getting hosting, DNS and IP information in a snap.
Online hosting checker tools will be adored by beginners. No technical know-how is required.
Step 2: Look at the DNS Records
To check the server configuration, look at the DNS (Domain Name System) This might give you some clues as to who the host company is.
How to Look Up DNS Records
Tools such as:
- DNS Checker. org
- MXToolbox.com
- Google admin tools
Enter the domain to find out.
1. A Record (IP Address)
The A record is the server’s IP address. Just drop this ip into an ip lookup tool like ipinfo.io and see who the hosting provider is.
2. Nameserver (NS) Records
Sometimes the host will be included in the nameservers. For instance:
- ns1.bluehost.com → Bluehost
- ns-cloud-a1.googledomains.com → Google Cloud
- ns1.siteground.com → SiteGround
- ns1.hostinger.com → Hostinger
3. MX Records (Mail Server)
MX records are not pointing directly to web hosting, but may sometimes give hints about the hosting provider.
You can get more info and hosting data by DNS lookups.
Step 3: Use Command-Line Tools (For People Who Know How to Use Them)
If you know some basic terminal commands, you can find the hosting info manually:
1. Using ping
ping example.comThe command to view the IP address of the domain is given below.
2. Using nslookup
nslookup example.com3. Using whois in the Terminal
whois example.comThat will give you the registrar, the IP it’s hosted on, and the DNS info.
Once you have the IP you can use an IP lookup tool to see what company owns the server.
Method 4: Check Out CDN and Reverse Proxy Services
Sometimes cloudflare and other cdn services hide hosting info. If the site is behind Cloudflare, normal lookups will not show the hosting.
How to Find Hidden Hosting Behind Cloudflare
Tools like reverse IP lookup can help you to find out:
- Crimeflare .
- Security Trails
- Censys
These tools check server histories and can sometimes give the location of the host.
Method 5: Look at the Technology Stack of the Website
Some of the technologies some sites are using are hosting related.
- LiteSpeed Web Server → Used by many hosting companies such as Hostinger, KnownHost & A2 Hosting.
- cPanel or WHM Headers → hosting providers that offer shared hosting or VPS hosting.
- Cloudflare Headers → Not a CDN host
Open the browser developer tools and check what server it is and the response headers: F12 → Network → Headers .
How to Check If the Information Is True
Many sites use CDNs, proxies, or distributed cloud systems. So you have to check your results with at least two different methods:
- test + online hosted DNS queries
- DNS Lookup & IP Address Search
- Whois lookup and technical header check
This combination gives you the right info for hosting.
Conclusion
Knowing the right tools and knowing how to use them, you can learn how to check a website’s web hosting easily. Hosting checker sites can be used by new hosts. If you are a bit techie you can do DNS and command line look ups to find out more.
When you know the ins and outs of hosting, you’ll have a leg up on researching competitors, checking your own site’s performance or making your next hosting purchase.
If you are looking for a reliable, fast and easy to use hosting experience, always go for a hosting company that is known for performance, security and support and Cyberin has all of that.