How to find out who is hosting a website

Whether you’re researching a competitor, troubleshooting your own site, or considering a hosting migration, knowing where a website is hosted can be useful.

Web hosting is the service that makes a website accessible online, storing its files and handling server management. Domain hosting, on the other hand, refers to the company managing the website’s domain name. Sometimes, both services are provided by the same company, but not always. If you need to find out who is hosting a particular website, there are several methods to try.

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1. Check invoices and billing records

If you have access to the website’s account details, the fastest way to determine its hosting provider is by reviewing past invoices and billing records. Hosting companies typically send invoices monthly or annually, and these documents should include the provider’s name and contact information.

To check:

Log in to the email account associated with your hosting purchase and search for terms like “invoice,” “hosting payment,” or the hosting provider’s name if you remember it.
If you have login access to your hosting provider’s dashboard, check for a billing or account section where provider details are listed.
Review credit card or PayPal statements for recurring charges linked to a hosting provider.

2. Use ICANN Lookup

If you don’t have access to invoices, ICANN Lookup is a good starting point. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages domain registration information, and its lookup tool can provide domain ownership and registrar details.

To use ICANN Lookup:

Visit ICANN Lookup.
Enter the website’s domain name in the search bar and click “Lookup.”
Review the results under the “Registrar” section. While this won’t directly list the hosting provider, it will tell you where the domain is registered. Sometimes, hosting companies also provide domain registration services, which can be a clue.
If the domain is using WHOIS privacy protection, the owner’s details may be hidden. In that case, you’ll need to try other methods.

3. Use an online tool

Several free online tools can help identify a website’s hosting provider by analyzing its IP address and server information. Some popular options include:

To use these tools:

Visit one of the websites listed above.
Enter the domain name of the website you want to check.
Click the search or lookup button.
Review the results, which typically display the hosting provider’s name, IP address, and sometimes additional server details.

These tools aren’t always 100% accurate, especially if a website uses a content delivery network (CDN) like Cloudflare, which masks its true hosting provider. In those cases, you may need to look deeper.

4. Ask other internal teams

For those working within a larger organization, the hosting provider information may be known by other teams or external partners.

Consider reaching out to:

Your IT team: They likely manage the infrastructure and should have access to hosting account details.
Your web development or design team: If your company hired an external agency or freelancer to build the site, they might have set up the hosting and can provide details.
Your marketing or operations teams: In some cases, hosting details might be managed by non-technical teams responsible for website operations.

If you still can’t find the hosting provider, you may need to contact the domain registrar or previous web developers for more information.

Getting started with hosting services

If you’re researching hosting because you’re considering a change, now is a great time to evaluate your needs. Whether you need more performance, better security, or simply a more responsive support team, switching hosts can improve your website’s reliability and user experience.

Your next step: Identify what you need in a hosting provider—speed, uptime, scalability, or customer support. Compare hosting providers that fit your criteria and look for managed hosting options if you prefer expert assistance. Once you find the right host, migrating your website is easier than ever with professional support from most providers.

When you’re ready to upgrade your web hosting, Liquid Web can help. Our servers and solutions have been leading the industry for decades. We offer the widest variety of hosting options for web sites as well as multiple tiers of server management support.

Click below to explore options or start a chat with one of our hosting experts now to get answers to your questions and further guidance.