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4 Ways To Find Out What A Website Is Built With And 10 Tools To Use
Discover the secrets behind and find out what a website is built with. Learn 4 easy methods and 10 powerful tools to uncover its tech stack.
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When prospecting for B2B sales, you have to know your target inside and out. Otherwise, you risk wasting time and effort pursuing a business that doesn’t fit your ideal customer profile. One way to get the needed information is by looking at a business’s website. Uncovering a website’s technology can give insights into the company’s size, structure, goals, and more. To do this, you’ll first need to find out what the site is built with. This blog will highlight the importance of this process and provide actionable tips for finding out what a website is built with, including tools to help you get the information quickly.
One way to streamline the process of finding out what a website is built with is to use Aomni’s website technology checker. This simple tool instantly reveals a site’s technologies so you can quickly gather the information you need to inform your B2B sales prospecting.
What's a Website Tech Stack? The What, Why, and How
A tech stack is the foundation upon which websites and applications are built. It encompasses the application’s frontend (the user-facing side) and the backend (the server-side operations). Sometimes called a solutions stack, technology infrastructure, or data ecosystem, the tech stack is customized based on the product's needs, company scale, and preferences of the development team or architects.
What Makes Up a Tech Stack?
For a web application, the tech stack starts with the frontend: the browser (on desktop and mobile) and the programming languages interacting with it, e.g., JavaScript. From there, you have the frameworks for those programming languages (React, Angular, Vue, to name a few). This code requests data from the database, which can be relational or non-relational (your MongoDB, PostSQL, etc.).
Unpacking Modern Tech Stacks: Key Components for Efficient Data Processing
How the server runs and feeds through this data depends on the web server and its languages and frameworks. You have the operating system on which everything is running. Modern tech stacks can involve many more tools depending on the scale due to the high volume of data being processed.
Many puzzle pieces are involved, from performance monitoring to business intelligence to containerization to break up data, microservices, and analytics!
Choosing a Tech Stack
The choice of a tech stack depends on several factors:
- Product Needs: Simple websites might use lightweight stacks, while complex applications require more robust solutions.
- Team Expertise: Developers often choose technologies they are most comfortable with.
- Scalability: Tech stacks that consider scalability (e.g., cloud-based databases and microservices architecture) are preferred for high-traffic applications.
- Budget: Open-source technologies can lower costs, but premium tools may offer additional support and features.
A well-chosen tech stack ensures a website or application is efficient, scalable, and maintainable while providing a seamless user experience. With modern development, the tech stack is more of a flexible toolkit than a fixed structure, allowing businesses to adapt to changing needs and technologies.
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Why You Would Want To Check What Tech Stack A Website Runs On
Websites evolve constantly, and many of the best ideas for improving your site come from seeing cool features on others. By identifying the tools and frameworks behind a site’s functionality, you can:
- Reverse engineer features you admire
- Understand how specific design elements, animations, or interactivity are achieved.
- And discover new tools or libraries you weren’t previously aware of
Stay Competitive by Checking Out What Tech Stack Your Competitors Use
Understanding the tech stack of competitors’ websites gives you valuable insight into:
- Content Management Systems: Whether they use WordPress, Drupal, or a headless CMS like Contentful.
- Third-Party Integrations: Tools like chatbots, analytics platforms, or CRMs they’ve integrated.
- Plugins and Frameworks: Specific WordPress plugins, JavaScript frameworks, or e-commerce platforms (e.g., WooCommerce, Shopify).
This knowledge can help you benchmark your site against competitors and decide if upgrades or changes are necessary to stay competitive.
Improve Your Website by Learning from the Tech Stack of Other Sites
As your skills grow or your website’s needs change, understanding how other sites operate can:
- Inspire better design
- Improved accessibility
- Smarter functionality
For example, you might learn about new accessibility tools or frameworks that improve user experience. You might also discover performance optimization techniques by analyzing the tech powering fast-loading sites. Finally, you might understand how to implement features like progressive web apps (PWAs), server-side rendering (SSR), or advanced animations.
Evaluate Hosting and Performance Solutions of Competitors
Knowing a site’s hosting service can provide insights into reliability and scalability. For example, if a site is speedy, checking whether it’s using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare can give you ideas for your hosting setup.
If a site manages high traffic well, the server type or cloud infrastructure it relies on (e.g., AWS, DigitalOcean) might be worth exploring.
Learn Without Backend Access
Most of the information you need about a website’s tech stack is embedded in its source code or visible through network requests. Tools and services like BuiltWith, Wappalyzer, or browser developer tools make extracting this information legally and ethically easy.
You can uncover:
- Programming languages and frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Ruby on Rails).
- Plugins, libraries, and APIs.
- Analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Hotjar).
- Payment processors or marketing automation platforms.
Enhance Your Technical Knowledge
For developers and designers, analyzing tech stacks is a great way to expand your technical expertise. By investigating a site’s structure, you’ll gain insights into:
- Code Organization: Best practices for structuring frontend and backend code.
- Emerging Technologies: Staying ahead of trends by identifying popular libraries and tools.
- Performance Optimization: Techniques like lazy loading, minification, and caching.
Validate Ideas or Tools
If you’re considering a specific tool or technology for your site, analyzing a live example can help you validate its effectiveness. For instance: Interested in using a particular JavaScript library? See how a high-traffic site uses it—considering a move to a headless CMS? Examine how it powers the flexibility of another site.
The beauty of analyzing a tech stack is that most information is publicly accessible in the source code or through tools. Exploring a site’s technology is ethical and legal if you’re not attempting to breach a site’s security or access private data.
Revolutionizing B2B Sales: How Aomni Empowers Sales Teams with AI-Driven Intelligence
Aomni is an AI agent platform designed specifically for B2B sales intelligence software. Our solution empowers enterprise and strategic account executives to execute account-based sales and marketing strategies with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Our key features include:
- AI-powered prospect and account research
- Comprehensive account mapping and planning
- Data-driven sales strategy development
- Automated call preparation
- Personalized AI agents for sales optimization
- AI chat interface for streamlined sales processes
- AI-assisted Account Based Sales/Marketing campaign execution tool
Transforming Sales Performance: How Aomni Drives Results for Teams and Individuals
Aomni addresses critical pain points for sales managers whose Account Executives, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers must perform better and include quotas. By leveraging our advanced AI technology, sales professionals can significantly enhance their preparation for customer conversations, leading to the following:
- Larger deal closures
- Increased promotion opportunities
For individual sales professionals, Aomni provides the tools and insights needed to:
- Elevate their performance
- Close more substantial deals
- Accelerate career progression
Our platform transforms the way B2B sales teams operate, ensuring they enter every customer interaction:
- Fully prepared
- Strategically positioned for success
Try our sales intelligence software and our website technology checker for free today!
4 Ways To Find Out What A Website Is Built With
1. Uncovering Website Technologies by Checking URL Extensions
One of the most straightforward clues lies in the URL extension of a webpage. Specific file extensions indicate the core technologies in use:
- .php: The site is likely built with PHP, a widely used server-side scripting language.
- .jsf: This points to JavaServer Faces, often used for Java-based web applications.
- .do: Indicates Apache Struts, another Java-based framework.
- .asp: Signals the use of .NET-based Active Server Pages.
The Evolution of URL Extensions: Balancing Security, Aesthetics, and Functionality
As web development practices have evolved, many websites mask these extensions to improve security and aesthetics. Extensions like .html are commonly used even if the site runs on more complex frameworks. For instance, the Texas House of Representatives website reveals its PHP foundation through its .php URLs—a rare glimpse into its backend.
While this method can be a quick win, it’s less effective on modern, well-optimized websites where URL extensions are deliberately obfuscated.
2. Use Website Technology Checkers To Identify Website Technologies
Website technology checkers are your best friend if you want a more robust approach. These tools analyze websites to identify their underlying technologies, from Content Management Systems (CMSs) to JavaScript frameworks and hosting providers.
For instance, running Wappalyzer on a personal website might reveal that it uses Google Analytics, Bootstrap for responsive design, and the Fastly Content Delivery Network (CDN). These tools make it easy to gain comprehensive insights without digging into the code yourself.
3. Get the Information You Need by Viewing the Page Source
For a DIY approach, viewing a website’s source code can unveil a wealth of information. This method is straightforward: right-click anywhere on the webpage and select "View Source" (or "Inspect" for a deeper dive).
Once you’re in, here’s what to look for:
- CSS and JavaScript Files: External libraries like jQuery, Bootstrap, or React are often linked in the source code.
- Meta Tags: These tags might reveal the name of a WordPress theme, the CMS in use, or even the template vendor.
- Embedded Scripts: Tools like Google Tag Manager and third-party integrations often leave a clear trail.
For example, viewing a webpage’s source code might show references to Google Fonts, LineIcons, or Lightbox scripts. This method provides hands-on insight into the front-end technologies shaping the website.
4. Explore the GitHub Repository for Detailed Website Technology Insights
You’re in luck if the website’s code is hosted on a public repository, such as GitHub or GitLab. These repositories often offer the most detailed look at a website’s build. Key areas to investigate include:
- Build Files: Files like package.json (for JavaScript projects) or pom.xml (for Java) reveal the exact libraries and frameworks in use.
- Programming Language Breakdown: GitHub automatically lists the primary programming languages used in a repository.
- .gitignore File: The entries in this file often correlate with specific technologies (e.g., *.jar for Java or __pycache__ for Python).
For instance, examining the package.json of a JavaScript-based repository might show that it uses React, Redux, and Axios, which are key components for a modern web app.
While this method works best for open-source projects, it highlights how transparent some websites can be about their technologies.
Related Reading
- How to Find Prospects
- Sales Prospecting Tools
- How to Find Out What Website Builder Was Used
- Technographics
- Lead Qualification Tools
- How to Tell What a Website is Built On
- B2B List Building
- How to Tell What Framework a Website Uses
10 Amazing Tools For Checking What A Website Was Built With
1. Aomni: The AI Agent Built for B2B Sales Intelligence Software
Aomni is an AI agent platform designed specifically for B2B sales intelligence software. Our solution empowers enterprise and strategic account executives to execute account-based sales and marketing strategies with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Our key features include:
- AI-powered prospect and account research
- Comprehensive account mapping and planning
- Data-driven sales strategy development
- Automated call preparation
- Personalized AI agents for sales optimization
- AI chat interface for streamlined sales processes
- AI-assisted Account Based Sales/Marketing campaign execution tool
Aomni addresses critical pain points for sales managers whose Account Executives, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers must perform better and include quotas. By leveraging our advanced AI technology, sales professionals can significantly enhance their preparation for customer conversations, leading to the following:
- Larger deal closures
- Increased promotion opportunities
For individual sales professionals, Aomni provides the tools and insights needed to:
- Elevate their performance
- Close more substantial deals
- Accelerate career progression
Our platform transforms the way B2B sales teams operate, ensuring they enter every customer interaction:
- Fully prepared
- Strategically positioned for success
Try our sales intelligence software and our website technology checker for free today!
2. Netcraft: The Oldie But Goodie
Netcraft Site Report is one of the oldest tools on the market. It helps you find various useful information.
- Background: first seen, title, ranking, language, description
- Network: IPv4/IPv6 address, domain registrar, network owner, hosting country
- SSL/TLS: vulnerability status like POODLE, heart bleed, SSL cert details, protocol negotiation, public key, certificate type & chain details
- Hosting: who hosts the website SPF details
- Security: risk rating, block list
- Site technologies: CDN, CMS, software, RSS, compression, character encoding, etc…
3. BuiltWith: Find Out What Website is Built With
BuiltWith, an online Internet research tool, is impressive in revealing which technologies are used to make a website. It also provides related technology trend statistics in a beautiful chart.
In addition to technology, it lets you know if any advertising is used. It is interesting to see how it tracks the website at the broader level to reveal each component.
4. Wappalyzer: Uncover Your Competitors' Website Technologies
With the help of Wappalyzer, you can quickly determine what technology your competitor’s websites are utilizing. This solution specializes in peeking through technologies like advertising networks, eCommerce platforms, CMS, analytics, and others while reporting instantly so you never get left behind.
You can look up any website on the internet and also make a list of them within the solution. This helps you research, stay organized, and take action on your projects. To save a massive amount of time, you can check up to 1,000 websites at once. Simply upload your list of websites and upload them for bulk research. You can also use their API for programmatic access.
Staying Ahead of the Competition: How Wappalyzer Helps Track Technology Changes
The best thing about Wappalyzer is that it notifies you whenever your competitor’s website’s technology changes. For example, when they move to a new eCommerce platform or content management system, you’ll be the first to know about it. Apart from all these fantastic features, this solution also has a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge to get a quick view of the technologies used by the websites you visit.
5. Whatruns: Instant Info at Your Fingertips
Whatruns is a free Chrome browser extension that reveals a website’s technologies. This makes things simpler and less stressful. It makes every website on the internet as transparent as glass, allowing you to view everything, such as its fonts, CDN platform, WordPress plugins, analytical tools, and so much more.
You can follow/unfollow websites and be notified whenever they stop using or start using any technologies. Whatruns has thousands of apps and technologies to help you instantly recognize who might be using them. Interestingly, you don’t need to register an account to use their service. Just download the Chrome extension and get started.
6. PageXray: Find Out What Website is Built With Fast
Another chrome extension that serves the same purpose, PageXray, organizes a website’s plugins and other technologies. Just click a button, and the icons will appear, indicating what the website is using. It’s free, seamless, and does the job pretty well. It’s not the fanciest solution, but you can be sure you’ll get what it advertises.
7. W3Techs: Detailed Breakdown of Site Technologies
W3Techs Site Info tool lets you know the following detailed information in tabular format. This consists of the following:
- Popularity ranking CMS used like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc
- The programming language used like PHP, Node.js, JavaScript, etc
- Markup Character encoding Image file formats
- Site elements – external CSS, inline CSS, Compression, SPDY, HTTP/2, HSTS, SSL cert details, Analytics, Web server, analytics, reverse proxy details
You will get a technology score based on popularity and traffic.
8. SimilarTech: Find Out What Website is Built With and Get Scores
SimilarTech gives technologies a score and lists details for:
- Advertisements
- Analytics
- Widgets
- Social sharing
- Mobile
- CDN
- CMS
- Media
- Open graph
- Schema
- Meta tags
You can also install their extensions in the browser for quick website profiling.
9. RESCAN: Simple Tool for Finding Technology Stacks
Finding the technologies used on a particular website with RESCAN is simple but easy. It lists not only the technology but also the respective categories, such as:
- CMS
- Widgets
- Video libraries
- Font scripts
10. WhatCMS: Identify the CMS Running a Website
WhatCMS doesn’t give you all the technologies, but just which CMS is being used, like:
- WordPress
- Joomla
- Drupal
- Blogger and more
Once you understand the technology, you can attend web development courses to make a similar or better website.
Try Our Website Technology Checker for Free Today
Aomni is an AI agent platform designed specifically for B2B sales intelligence software. Our solution empowers enterprise and strategic account executives to execute account-based sales and marketing strategies with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Our key features include:
- AI-powered prospect and account research
- Comprehensive account mapping and planning
- Data-driven sales strategy development
- Automated call preparation
- Personalized AI agents for sales optimization
- AI chat interface for streamlined sales processes
- AI-assisted Account Based Sales/Marketing campaign execution tool
Aomni addresses critical pain points for sales managers whose Account Executives, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers must perform better and include quotas. By leveraging our advanced AI technology, sales professionals can significantly enhance their preparation for customer conversations, leading to the following:
- Larger deal closures
- Increased promotion opportunities
For individual sales professionals, Aomni provides the tools and insights needed to:
- Elevate their performance
- Close more substantial deals
- Accelerate career progression
Our platform transforms the way B2B sales teams operate, ensuring they enter every customer interaction:
- Fully prepared
- Strategically positioned for success
Try our sales intelligence software and our website technology checker for free today!
Related Reading
- Cognism Alternatives
- BuiltWith Alternatives
- Wappalyzer Alternative
- Sales Prospecting Automation
- List Building Tools
- AI Sales Prospecting Tools
- SimilarWeb Alternatives
- WhatRuns
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