Here’s a list of 4 script library detector extensions for Google Chrome which you can use to find out what kind of programming libraries and web scripts a certain website is using. These extensions can come in handy when you visit a website with effects that are nice to look at or that have a very useful functionality to find out what kind of underlying scripts, libraries and frameworks are used.
Usually you would need to do a bit of research to find these things out, but with the extensions that I covered down below you’ll be able to do it in just a few mouse clicks.
Library Detector
Library Detector is a script library detector extension which supports detection of Javascript libraries. If a website uses a Javascript library, the extension will add an icon to the right hand side of the address bar.
Think of this icon appearing as a notification of sorts. To find out which Javascript libraries are present, left click on the icon and a drop down list should appear telling you not just the names of the detected libraries, but also the version number of the library that the website uses.
Get Library Detector.
Appspector
Appspector adds on top of the functionality that’s offered by Library Detector. It can for example detect content management systems like WordPress and Joomla, various APIs like Google Fonts, it also has server info detection (apache, nginx) and more.
Icon is also added to the right hand side of the address bar in case supported resources is found. Left click on the icon activates a pop-up where icons of all the other web libraries and resources used on the website are going to be displayed. Mouse hover over an icon will display the name and version number of the associated resource behind it.
Get Appspector.
Also, have a look at 3 Javascript Error Notifier Extensions For Chrome.
Wappalyzer
Wappalyzer is an even more advanced script library detector extension than Appspector. So much so that it can even detect which plugins a WordPress blog is using.
Icon is added to the same top right corner location inside the address bar. After you come across a website that contains a supported API, scripting library, CMS, CMS plugin or a web service (like Google Analytics) icon in the top right corner will appear. Left click on the icon gives a detailed list of all the detected scripting libraries, content management systems and services used, see image above.
Get Wappalyzer.
Web Application/Tool Sniffer
Web Application/Tool Sniffer is basically a clone of Appspector, as you can see on the image above.
Click on the address bar icon opens up a very small pop up from where a row of icons that depict all the available resources can be seen. Hover your mouse over an icon to find out resource name and also the version number, but version number is showed only for some of the detected web libraries, not all of them.
Get Web Application/Tool Sniffer.
Also, have a look at Free Web Developer Chrome Extension to Edit Webpages.
Conclusion
Wappalyzer takes the cake if you ask me, but Appspector and its sibling Web Application/Tool Sniffer are also not that far behind. Let me know which one of the script library detector extensions from the list above you think is best by leaving a comment down below.
