How to use the CMS Detector
- Enter the URL of the site you want to check, for example
https://example.com/. - Run the detection. We fetch the page once and analyze it.
- Read the headline result: the CMS or site builder detected, with its version if it is visible.
- Browse the other technologies, grouped by category such as e-commerce, JavaScript frameworks, analytics, CDN and web server.
- If nothing useful is found, try another page on the same site, such as a blog post or product page.
Understanding your results
CMS or site builder. The main platform the page appears to run on, for example WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Drupal or Joomla. This tells you how the site is built and managed.
Other technologies by category. Everything else we recognized, grouped so it is easy to scan:
- E-commerce: store platforms and plugins.
- JavaScript frameworks and libraries: front-end tools used to build the interface.
- Analytics: measurement and tracking scripts visible in the page.
- CDN: content delivery networks serving the site or its files.
- Web server: the server software, when it identifies itself in response headers.
Versions. Shown only when the page exposes them, for example in a generator meta tag or a versioned file path. Many sites hide or strip version numbers, so a missing version is normal.
What a result means. Each detection means the signals for that technology were found. It is strong evidence, not proof. A site can load a script from a platform without being built on it, and a site can remove or disguise the usual signs.
Typical signals
Detection relies on patterns that platforms leave behind. A WordPress site usually loads files from paths containing /wp-content/. Many platforms add a generator meta tag naming themselves. Hosted builders often serve assets from their own domains, and servers commonly identify themselves in headers such as Server or X-Powered-By. Cookie names set by the platform can also give it away. For a manual walkthrough of these clues, read our guide on how to find what CMS a site uses.
How this tool works
We fetch the page once, the same way a browser would request it, and compare the HTML, response headers, cookie names, script URLs and meta tags against thousands of open-source technology fingerprints. The fingerprints come from webappanalyzer, a community-maintained dataset that continues the open-source Wappalyzer fingerprints.
There are limits worth knowing:
- We do not run JavaScript. Technologies that appear only after scripts execute in the browser, such as tools injected by a tag manager, may be missed.
- We check one page. Different sections of a site can run different software, for example a WordPress blog alongside a separate store platform.
- Signals can be hidden or faked. Security plugins, reverse proxies and custom builds can remove the usual clues, and some sites deliberately present misleading ones.
- Headless setups are hard to identify. When a CMS only supplies content to a separate front end, the CMS itself often leaves no trace in the delivered page.
Tips
- Test more than one page type, such as the homepage, a blog post and a product page, to get a fuller picture.
- If the result shows WordPress, look at the plugins and themes listed as well; they often explain features you want to copy.
- Do not treat an old version number as proof of a vulnerability. Some sites patch software without changing the visible version string.
- Pair the result with the Website Speed Test to see how the platform and its add-ons affect performance.
- Use the Meta Tag Checker to see how the same page handles titles, descriptions and social tags.
- If no CMS appears, the site may be custom-built, headless or deliberately hiding its signals.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out what CMS a website uses?
Enter the site's URL above. The tool checks the page's HTML, headers, cookies, scripts and meta tags against known technology fingerprints and reports the CMS or site builder it finds, plus other technologies.
Why was no CMS detected?
The site may be custom-built, may use a headless CMS whose front end leaves no trace, or may hide the usual signals. Some technologies are also only visible after JavaScript runs, which this tool does not do.
Is the detected version number accurate?
It is what the page itself exposes, for example in a generator tag or a file path. Sites sometimes remove, freeze or fake these strings, so treat the version as a hint rather than a certainty.
Can a website hide its CMS?
Yes. Security plugins, proxies and custom builds can strip generator tags and headers, rename paths or add misleading signals. A detection means signals were found; the absence of one does not prove a platform is not used.
Does the tool detect analytics and tag managers?
It detects analytics and tag manager scripts that are present in the page HTML we fetch. Tools that are loaded later by other scripts, after the page runs in a browser, may not appear.
Which platforms can it recognize?
The fingerprint dataset covers thousands of technologies, including common CMSs and site builders such as WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Drupal and Joomla, along with frameworks, analytics tools, CDNs and web servers.