How to Determine Where a Website Is Hosted

Finding out where a website is hosted is actually quite simple and can be useful for various reasons. For example, there are many shady or suspicious websites and forums online that may be involved in illegal activities such as selling weapons, drugs, or other prohibited items. Logically, such sites should be shut down and shouldn’t be hosted in countries with strict regulations, like Russia. Knowing where a site is hosted can be a basic precaution to protect yourself.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Ping the website you’re interested in. To do this, open the Start menu, type cmd to open the command prompt, and enter ping example.com (replace example.com with the website you want to check).
2. The ping command will return the IP address of the website.
3. In your browser’s address bar, go to http://whois.domaintools.com/212.83.4.201, replacing the numbers with the IP address you got from the ping command.
4. Carefully read the information provided in the response.

The information you receive will tell you where the website is hosted, including the country, city, and hosting provider.

Why This Matters

If a website is hosted in Russia and uses a major Russian hosting provider, you should ask yourself why it hasn’t been shut down. Could it be a trap set by authorities? Always be cautious when dealing with suspicious websites, especially if you’re considering making a purchase or sharing personal information.