The Problem
I needed to detect what technologies websites use. The existing options:
- BuiltWith: Comprehensive but $295+/month
- Wappalyzer: Good but limited API and signatures
- Manual inspection: Time-consuming and incomplete
So I built my own.
The Solution: 8-Tier Deep Inspection
Most detection tools only look at HTML. I went deeper with 8 tiers:
| Tier | What It Checks | Example Detections |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HTTP Headers | Cloudflare, nginx, security headers |
| 2 | DOM/HTML | Meta tags, script sources, CSS classes |
| 3 | JavaScript | Global variables (React, Vue, jQuery) |
| 4 | Network | XHR/Fetch requests to analytics, CDNs |
| 5 | Storage | localStorage keys (Redux, auth tokens) |
| 6 | PWA | Service workers, manifest.json |
| 7 | WebSocket | Real-time connections (Socket.io) |
| 8 | Cookies | Cookie names (tracking, auth) |
Tech Stack
- Runtime: Node.js
- Browser: Playwright + Camoufox (stealth mode)
- Signatures: 7,000+ patterns (Wappalyzer-compatible + custom)
- Hosting: Apify platform
Results
Scanning a typical site detects 10-15 technologies:
- CMS/Builder (Webflow, WordPress)
- Analytics (GA4, Plausible)
- Marketing (GTM, HubSpot)
- Infrastructure (Cloudflare, AWS)
Try It
Live on Apify: https://apify.com/justa/technology-profiling-engine
Pricing: $0.005 per URL (~$5 per 1,000 URLs)
What technologies do you wish were easier to detect? Let me know in the comments!
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