Local verification tool

Read a URL without opening the destination

A brand name in a URL can appear in user information, a path or a parameter. The hostname determines the addressed host. This tool breaks the address into readable parts; it does not test whether a site is safe.

Analysis stays in this tab, without contacting the destination, saving your input or sending it to our server. Do not paste passwords or secret access links. Parameter values and user information are omitted from the results.

Complete HTTP or HTTPS URL Expected hostname (optional)

Inspect locallyLoad a fictional exampleClear input and results

Five addresses, five reading traps

These fictional addresses illustrate URL structure. Read the explanation or load an example into the local inspector. No destination is opened.

The brand before @

https://bank.example@review.example/login

Actual host: review.example

bank.example is user information. The host is review.example.

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A reassuring prefix

https://bank.example.review.example/login

Actual host: bank.example.review.example

The complete hostname differs from bank.example. The brand at the beginning does not make it the expected host.

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A brand in the path

https://review.example/bank.example/secure

Actual host: review.example

Text after the hostname belongs to the path. It does not change the addressed host.

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A destination in a parameter

https://review.example/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fbank.example

Actual host: review.example

The initial host is review.example. The next parameter may be interpreted by the site; this tool does not follow it.

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A matching host

https://bank.example/confirm

Actual host: bank.example

The host matches, but the address alone does not authenticate a message or justify a payment.

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Reference: IANA — Example Domains.

How to interpret the result

1. Start with the actual hostname. Obtain the expected hostname through an independently known official address, not from the suspicious message.
2. Compare the full hostname. This is an exact comparison, not a calculation of the registrable domain; a separate legitimate subdomain can also differ.
3. Check context separately. An exact match and HTTPS do not prove that a request, account or payment is legitimate.

What the tool cannot establish

It does not resolve shortened links, follow redirects, read page contents or verify an organisation. Browser URL parsing can normalise an address, including internationalised hostnames. No score or safe/unsafe label is assigned.

MDN — URL API · MDN — hostname. Technical references consulted on 9 October 2026.