How to tell which CMS or website builder a site uses

Updated 2026-11-12T00:00:00.000Z

Quick answer
Open the page’s source and search for telltale paths: wp-content means WordPress, cdn.shopify.com means Shopify, static.wixstatic.com means Wix. The Report tab on viewhtmlonline lists what it detects under Built with.

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The quick way

Paste the address on viewhtmlonline and open the Report tab. The Built with section lists the platforms and tools it recognises.

Clues to look for yourself

Open the Code tab and type each clue in the Find box.

You find	It is probably
`/wp-content/` or `/wp-includes/`	WordPress
`cdn.shopify.com` or `Shopify.theme`	Shopify
`static.wixstatic.com`	Wix
`static1.squarespace.com`	Squarespace
`data-wf-site`	Webflow
`/sites/default/files/` or `Drupal.settings`	Drupal
`/_next/` or `__NEXT_DATA__`	Next.js
`/_nuxt/`	Nuxt

The generator tag

Many platforms add a line like this to the <head>:

<meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.6">

Search for generator. Wix, Joomla, Drupal, Ghost, Hugo and WordPress often add one, sometimes with a version number.

Other places to look

Response headers. The Headers tab can show x-powered-by or a server line naming the software.
The favicon and file names. Default theme names in stylesheet addresses often name the theme too.

Questions people ask

Can a site hide which CMS it uses?

Partly. It can remove the generator tag and rename some paths, but most platforms leave traces in file addresses and scripts.

Does this work for sites built with React or Next.js?

Often yes. Next.js sites load files from /_next/ and usually include a script with the id __NEXT_DATA__.