What is Traceroute?
Traceroute is a network diagnostic tool that displays the route (path) and measures transit delays of packets across an Internet Protocol (IP) network. It shows you each "hop" your data takes from your computer to the destination server.
How to Read Traceroute Results:
- Hop Number: Each router or gateway your data passes through
- IP Address: The address of each hop along the route
- Hostname: The domain name of the hop (if available)
- RTT (Round Trip Time): Time taken for the packet to reach the hop and return
- Location: Geographic location of the hop server
- * * * (Asterisks): Indicates a timeout - the hop didn't respond
Common Uses:
- Diagnose network connectivity issues
- Identify network bottlenecks and slow hops
- See the physical path your data travels
- Troubleshoot high latency problems
- Verify network routing configuration
- Check if a website is reachable
Understanding Latency:
- <50ms: Excellent - Normal for local/regional hops
- 50-100ms: Good - Typical for domestic connections
- 100-200ms: Fair - Common for international routes
- >200ms: High - May indicate congestion or long distance
Tips:
- Some routers don't respond to traceroute probes by design
- Multiple timeouts may indicate a firewall or security measure
- Routes can change over time as networks optimize paths
- High latency on one hop doesn't always mean problems - check subsequent hops
- Private IP addresses (10.x.x.x, 192.168.x.x) are your local network