HTML Source Viewer

View source is the HTML a server sent for a URL, before scripts rewrite the page. A real copy comes from that response. This viewer shows an HTML sample for the address you enter.

View source is the HTML a server sent, before scripts rewrite the page. A real copy comes from that response. This viewer shows an HTML sample so you can see what a source panel looks like.

Document is one of the values HTML Source Viewer puts on screen. Source is the bytes the server sent. The panel shows a sample document for the domain you typed. It is not the published page.

Read Hostname stamp on its own before you mix it with the other rows. The sample mentions the host so the block looks specific. The name is inserted locally. Insertion is not a download.

Size answers a narrower question than the headline number. A source viewer often shows a byte size. The size is the sample string’s length. It is not the transfer size of the live page.

Treat Scripts as a label with a specific job. Live pages often differ after JavaScript runs. This sample is static text. It cannot show a DOM the browser built.

The view-source line is worth a full stop. Browsers can show the real response. This tool does not call that command. Use it on the live URL.

Use the browser’s view-source command on the live URL when you need the actual markup. Do not quote a sentence from this sample as if it were the published page. The byte size shown is the size of the sample string.

If you remember one sequence from HTML Source Viewer, remember the fields in the order they change a decision. Document matters because Source is the bytes the server sent. In practice, The panel shows a sample document for the domain you typed. The mistake to avoid is this: It is not the published page. Hostname stamp matters because The sample mentions the host so the block looks specific. In practice, The name is inserted locally. The mistake to avoid is this: Insertion is not a download. Size matters because A source viewer often shows a byte size. In practice, The size is the sample string’s length. The mistake to avoid is this: It is not the transfer size of the live page. Scripts matters because Live pages often differ after JavaScript runs. In practice, This sample is static text. The mistake to avoid is this: It cannot show a DOM the browser built. view-source matters because Browsers can show the real response. In practice, This tool does not call that command. The mistake to avoid is this: Use it on the live URL. After that, the checks are simple. You recognized the stock sentences as a fixture. You did not quote them as the page. You ignored the sample byte size. You did not search the sample for your tags. view-source on the live URL is the next step.

The worked example for HTML Source Viewer, read as one scene, is this. Type https://example.com. The panel shows HTML that mentions example.com, including stock sentences. That HTML was not the response from example.com. Open view-source:https://example.com in the browser. That document is the one to search for a title, a canonical, or a script.

Final notes for HTML Source Viewer, written as decisions rather than as a table. When Document is in front of you, decide using this: Source is the bytes the server sent. It is not the published page. When Hostname stamp is in front of you, decide using this: The sample mentions the host so the block looks specific. Insertion is not a download. When Size is in front of you, decide using this: A source viewer often shows a byte size. It is not the transfer size of the live page. When Scripts is in front of you, decide using this: Live pages often differ after JavaScript runs. It cannot show a DOM the browser built. When view-source is in front of you, decide using this: Browsers can show the real response. Use it on the live URL. Then apply the checks without skipping one. You recognized the stock sentences as a fixture. You did not quote them as the page. You ignored the sample byte size. You did not search the sample for your tags. view-source on the live URL is the next step.

Keep HTML Source Viewer as this step only. When the job moves on, the Header Checker is the next page: Header Checker asks for a URL and lists response headers, including a few security header names. The Technology Detector covers a different piece of the same work: Technology Detector asks for a URL and then names a CMS, framework, or library stack.