traceroute

Trace the network path to a host, hop by hop.

low risk

interactive breakdown — edit the command and press Explain
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⚠ Risks & cautions
What it does

traceroute sends packets with incrementing TTL values to discover each router hop between source and destination. Reveals routing paths, identifies where packets are dropped, and measures latency at each hop — essential for network troubleshooting.

Common flags
FlagMeaning
-n --numericDon't resolve hostnames (faster)
-T --tcpUse TCP SYN probes (bypasses ICMP blocks)
-p --portDestination port for TCP/UDP probes
-m --max-hopsMaximum number of hops
Examples
traceroute 8.8.8.8Trace route to Google DNS · explain & risk-check →
traceroute -n google.comTrace without DNS resolution (faster output) · explain & risk-check →
traceroute -T -p 443 api.service.comTCP trace to HTTPS port (works through firewalls) · explain & risk-check →
Pro tip

Use `traceroute -T -p 443` when ICMP is blocked — TCP SYN probes on the target port actually follow the production traffic path and bypass ICMP-blocking firewalls.

Related
ping dig ip
Open the full explainer →More in Networking

Reference text is hand-written and may be incomplete — check man traceroute for your version. Test destructive commands on a non-production system first.