How do i find out what language has been used to develop a website

Discussion in 'HTML & Website Design' started by evenues, Nov 10, 2008.

  1. #1
    Hi guys, is it possible to know what programming language (asp,php) was used to code a website. I dont see any .php or .asp extension in the webpages i m looking to get information for.

    Thanks
     
    evenues, Nov 10, 2008 IP
  2. mikemotorcade

    mikemotorcade Peon

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    #2
    Usually, if the webmaster has gone to the trouble of getting rid of file extensions that will tell the language, there isn't another way. It's kinda a security thing. If hackers don't know what language you're using, they can't hack it. There may be other ways to find out, but I don't know. Try contacting the webmaster and asking.
     
    mikemotorcade, Nov 10, 2008 IP
  3. wayfarer07

    wayfarer07 Peon

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    #3
    Why do you care anyway? Do you need to know what language to study? Pretty much any mainstream language can be used to do just about anything with a website.

    You can sometimes find clues about the server environment by validating the HTML, because the validation reads some of the HTTP headers that are being sent. I think it is sometimes possible to find the language used by reading the HTTP headers manually, but I'm not sure because I've never tried it, and I'm sure the server can be configured to not send such information.

    ***EDIT*** Ok, I figured it out: it's called the 'X-Powered-By' header, and not all servers send it.
    Here is the X-Powered-By header for php.net :
    
    X-Powered-By: PHP/5.1.6
    
    Code (markup):
    I thought that was funny because 5.1.6 is not the current version. Shouldn't the official PHP site have a current version?!
     
    wayfarer07, Nov 10, 2008 IP
    mikemotorcade likes this.
  4. jamesicus

    jamesicus Peon

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    #4
    Use Web-Sniffer View HTTP Request and Response Header -- The response Header includes the server-side language used.

    BTW, also included is how the page is being served -- content (MIME) type, character encoding and the page source code. Just specify the User-Agent (Browser) you wish to check for and leave everything else at default.

    James
     
    jamesicus, Nov 10, 2008 IP