Information Gathering
WhatWeb identifies websites by fingerprinting their technologies. It answers the question 'What is that website?' by detecting content management systems (CMS), blogging platforms, analytics packages, JavaScript libraries, web servers, embedded devices, and over 1800 other web technologies using its plugin architecture.
sudo apt install whatweb
whatweb [options] <target>
WhatWeb is a free, open-source website fingerprinting tool that identifies technologies used by websites and web applications. It answers the fundamental question: 'What is that website?' by detecting content management systems (CMS), JavaScript libraries, web frameworks, analytics tools, web servers, and over 1800 other technologies through its extensive plugin architecture.
Created by Andrew Horton (urbanadventurer), WhatWeb uses multiple detection techniques including HTTP header analysis, HTML signature matching, URL pattern recognition, meta tag analysis, and cookie inspection. Each technology has its own dedicated plugin, making WhatWeb one of the most comprehensive technology detection tools available.
WhatWeb is pre-installed on Kali Linux and is an essential tool in every penetration tester's reconnaissance workflow. It helps security professionals understand a target's technology stack before launching further testing with tools like Nikto, Gobuster, or SQLMap. The tool supports aggressive scanning modes for deep version detection, bulk scanning from URL lists, and multiple output formats including JSON, XML, and HTML for automation and reporting.
whatweb example.comBasic scan — passive and regular detection of the target website's technologieswhatweb -v example.comVerbose output — shows detailed information about each plugin match and detection methodwhatweb -a 3 example.comAggressive scan level 3 — makes more HTTP requests to probe deeply into plugins and extract version numberswhatweb -a 4 example.comHeavy aggression level 4 — maximum probing with extensive requests for maximum detailwhatweb --log-json=results.json example.comJSON output — save results in JSON format for programmatic analysis and automation pipelineswhatweb --log-xml=results.xml example.comXML output — save results in XML format for integration with SIEM tools and reporting platformswhatweb --log-html=results.html example.comHTML output — generate a human-readable HTML report of detected technologieswhatweb --log-sql=results.sql example.comSQL output — store results in SQL format for database import and queryingwhatweb -i targets.txtBulk scan — read target URLs from a text file and scan each onewhatweb --input-file=urls.txt --log-json=output.jsonBulk scan with JSON — scan multiple URLs and save all results as JSONwhatweb --color=never example.comNo color output — disable ANSI color codes for clean piping into other toolswhatweb --user-agent='Mozilla/5.0' example.comCustom user agent — set a custom User-Agent header to avoid detectionwhatweb --proxy=http://127.0.0.1:8080 example.comProxy support — route traffic through Burp Suite or ZAP for analysiswhatweb --wait=2 example.comRate limiting — wait 2 seconds between requests to avoid overwhelming the serverwhatweb --threads=5 example.comThread control — use 5 concurrent threads for faster scanningIdentify WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, and hundreds of other content management systems running on target websites.
Detect Apache, Nginx, IIS, LiteSpeed, and other web server software along with their exact version numbers.
Identify jQuery, React, Angular, Vue.js, Bootstrap, and other front-end frameworks and libraries in use.
Discover Google Analytics, Matomo, Hotjar, Mixpanel, and other analytics and tracking tools embedded in websites.
Extract exact version numbers of detected technologies to cross-reference with known CVEs and vulnerability databases.
Build a complete technology stack profile of a target organization for security assessments and competitive analysis.
| Feature | WhatWeb | httpx | Wappalyzer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Purpose | Deep fingerprinting | Fast HTTP probing | Browser tech check |
| Detection Plugins | 1800+ | Wappalyzer-based set | 2500+ signatures |
| Version Extraction | Yes (a-3/a-4) | Partial | Partial |
| Bulk Scanning | Yes (-i file) | Yes (excellent) | Limited |
| Speed at Scale | Moderate | Very fast | Slow |
| CLI Automation | Yes | Yes | No (extension) |
| Best For | Detailed per-target | Mass triage | One-off checks |
| Feature | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTTP Requests | Single request | A few extra | Many | Maximum |
| Version Detection | Rarely | Sometimes | Usually | Aggressively |
| Stealth | High | Good | Low | Very low |
| WAF Trigger Risk | Minimal | Low | Moderate | High |
| Speed | Fastest | Fast | Slower | Slowest |
| Recommended For | Passive recon | General use | Authorized pentest | Lab only |
| Feature | WhatWeb | Nmap NSE |
|---|---|---|
| Web Tech Detection | Specialized (1800+) | Basic (http-* scripts) |
| Port Scanning | No | Yes (core strength) |
| CMS Version Detection | Detailed | Limited |
| Output Formats | JSON/XML/HTML/SQL | Normal/XML/greppable |
| Scan Scope | Web layer only | Full network stack |
| Typical Order | After port discovery | First (find ports) |
| Feature | JSON | XML | HTML | Terminal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automation | Best | Good | Poor | Poor |
| Human Readable | Moderate | Moderate | Best | Good |
| SIEM Integration | Good | Best | No | No |
| Reporting to Clients | No | No | Best | No |
| Flag | --log-json | --log-xml | --log-html | (default) |
WhatWeb identifies CMS platforms like WordPress and Drupal, web servers such as Apache and Nginx, JavaScript libraries, analytics tools, programming languages, and over 1800 other technologies through its plugin system.
WhatWeb detects technologies through HTTP header analysis, HTML signature matching, URL pattern recognition, meta tag analysis, and cookie inspection using over 1800 plugins.
WhatWeb itself is legal software. However, scanning websites without explicit written permission is illegal in most jurisdictions.
WhatWeb has four aggression levels (1-4) that control how deeply it probes a target, from passive minimal requests to heavy maximum probing.
WhatWeb is pre-installed on Kali Linux. If needed: sudo apt install whatweb.
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WhatWeb output displays each detected technology on a single line with the target URL, HTTP status code, and detected technologies. Example outputs: Apache: http://example.com [200 OK] Apache[2.4.52] Nginx: http://example.com [200 OK] Nginx[1.18.0] WordPress: http://example.com [200 OK] WordPress[6.1.1], jQuery[3.6.0], PHP[8.1.2] Cloudflare: http://example.com [200 OK] Cloudflare[DDoS protection], PHP[7.4.33] React: http://example.com [200 OK] React[18.2.0], Webpack[Bundler] PHP: http://example.com [200 OK] PHP[8.1.2], X-Powered-By[PHP/8.1.2] The default color-coded output differentiates technology types: green for CMS, blue for JavaScript libraries, yellow for web servers, and red for embedded devices. Verbose mode (-v) reveals the specific HTTP headers, HTML patterns, or URL structures that triggered each detection. JSON output (--log-json) provides structured data with full plugin details, HTTP response headers, and detection methods.
This tool is designed for authorized security testing, educational purposes, and legitimate network administration only. Unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal.