7 votes

Looking for a good map of the internet

I did some cursory Googling but found stuff that I'm not looking for (maps of the web and traceroutes hooked up to GeoIP lookups). Is there a resource that will show me the internet as a series of interconnected hops? Preferably with information on the connections between nodes that indicates the amount of traffic. I'm interested in the topography of the internet itself - not physically where hops are located.

8 comments

  1. [2]
    teaearlgraycold
    Link
    Update: I found this.

    Update: I found this.

    5 votes
    1. Apos
      Link Parent
      I was hoping you'd find something like that. This looks so cool!

      I was hoping you'd find something like that. This looks so cool!

      2 votes
  2. [2]
    Wulfsta
    Link
    This seems exceptionally difficult? I don’t have what you’re looking for, but maybe Shodan will be of interest?

    This seems exceptionally difficult? I don’t have what you’re looking for, but maybe Shodan will be of interest?

    3 votes
    1. teaearlgraycold
      Link Parent
      I’m most interested in the backbone’s topography. Not so much the majority of hops that would correspond to last mile ISP infrastructure. Thanks for the link, though.

      I’m most interested in the backbone’s topography. Not so much the majority of hops that would correspond to last mile ISP infrastructure.

      Thanks for the link, though.

      1 vote
  3. [4]
    knocklessmonster
    Link
    Would an IXP map be what you're looking for? IXPs provide the major jumps between localities.

    Would an IXP map be what you're looking for? IXPs provide the major jumps between localities.

    1 vote
    1. [3]
      teaearlgraycold
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I'm thinking of something where there is absolutely no geographic aspect to the data. Just IP addresses with connections between them corresponding to unbroken fiber/copper. Basically a...

      I'm thinking of something where there is absolutely no geographic aspect to the data. Just IP addresses with connections between them corresponding to unbroken fiber/copper. Basically a perspective of the internet where there is no physical world. The internet as packets see it. Distances between nodes would correspond to the time it takes to get from one to the other. Node sizes would correspond to how many connections actually target those nodes (or something behind them that isn't directly exposed).

      1 vote
      1. [2]
        knocklessmonster
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        You could also use a tool like tracert (windows) or traceroute (Unix/Linux/etc) to map out the routing from your IP to a destination. I used tracert because, at least via WSL,...

        You could also use a tool like tracert (windows) or traceroute (Unix/Linux/etc) to map out the routing from your IP to a destination. I used tracert because, at least via WSL, traceroute/traceroute6 just timed out on the IP address requests.

        Tracing route to tildes.net [2607:5300:203:2e7a::]
        over a maximum of 30 hops:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
        1     7 ms     7 ms     7 ms  2603-8000-8d3f-3b00-3668-95ff-fef8-ac8a.res6.spectrum.com [2603:8000:8d3f:3b00:3668:95ff:fef8:ac8a]
        2    27 ms    16 ms     8 ms  2605:e000:402:5c::1
        3    11 ms    10 ms     9 ms  2605:e000:0:4::4:288
        4    11 ms    13 ms    15 ms  2605:e000:0:8::f:ca 
        5     *        *        *     Request timed out.
        6    22 ms    22 ms    16 ms  2001:1998:0:8::5c 
        7    20 ms    22 ms    23 ms  2001:1998:0:4::e0
        8    19 ms    19 ms    18 ms  2001:1998:0:4::55d
        9     *        *        *     Request timed out. 
        10     *        *        *     Request timed out. 
        11     *        *        *     Request timed out. 
        12     *        *        *     Request timed out. 
        13    90 ms    95 ms    84 ms  vl100.bhs-d2-a75.qc.ca [2607:5300::1cd]
        14    83 ms    86 ms    84 ms  2001:41d0:0:50::6:887
        15    84 ms    84 ms    85 ms  2001:41d0:0:50::2:6109 
        16    83 ms    84 ms    85 ms  vl15.bhs7-sdtor8a-n3.qc.ca [2001:41d0:0:50::6c47:b04f] 
        17    82 ms    84 ms    83 ms  2607:5300:203:2e7a::   
        

        I may be preaching to the choir here: I'd assume the timeouts from (9)-(12) are possibly because of a lack of configuration for ICMP/UDP, but my understanding is it's basically the routing of a packet from my first contact at (1) to the tildes.net IP at (17) through each IXP, or any other hops they make. From there you could, theoretically, whois or do a proper look up for each of them and sort of find where they are if you were curious about geography or ownership at the very least, but this would be the "map" of where you are, and how long in ms between each point for your set of packets.

        1 vote
        1. Protected
          Link Parent
          You aren't wrong, but this is one route; I think OP wants a map of the whole internet, showing how each of those routers (plus a mind boggling additional amount, spread throughout every continent...

          You aren't wrong, but this is one route; I think OP wants a map of the whole internet, showing how each of those routers (plus a mind boggling additional amount, spread throughout every continent and ocean) connect to each other.

          2 votes