traceroute
n.n. a computer tool that shows the path data takes to get from your computer to another one on the internet. It lists every server or 'stop' along the way so you can see where a connection might be slow.
n. a network diagnostic tool used to track the path of a packet from source to destination, identifying the specific IP addresses of the routers it traverses. It measures the transit delays of packets across an Internet Protocol network.
I ran a traceroute to see why the website was slow.
The network administrator used a traceroute to identify which specific router in the data center was causing the packet loss.
By analyzing the traceroute results, the technician determined that the latency issues were originating from a congested peering point between two major internet service providers.
A compound formed from the English words trace and route. It was first implemented as a network utility by Van Jacobson in 1988.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated July 22, 2026