NetPin is a lightweight, open-source browser extension that reveals the physical server location, network routing, hidden tracking scripts, and energy sustainability of websites.

How does NetPin protect user privacy?

NetPin operates with a zero-telemetry policy. All analysis occurs locally in your browser or through privacy-preserving APIs without logging user IP addresses or browsing history.

Is NetPin completely free and open source?

Yes, NetPin is 100% free and open-source under the MIT license. You can inspect the source code, contribute features, or build it yourself on GitHub.

See what happens behind the URL

NetPin is an open-source, privacy-first browser extension that uncovers physical server locations, network ASN routing, hidden trackers, and data center carbon efficiency for every site you visit.

Get on GitHub View Documentation

NetPin Active Tab Analysis

← Primary Connection Path →

← 3rd-Party Tracking Call →

1. Intercepts Connections

Passive Network Listener

When you load any URL, NetPin's service worker listens to network navigation events to capture destination host IP addresses.

2. Maps Physical Path

IP Geolocation & ASN Query

Pinpoints host city/country coordinates, ISP routing, WHOIS domain data, and physical distance from your location.

3. Uncovers Hidden Assets

Tracker & Sustainability Audit

Detects third-party tracking pixels, computes connection risk scores, and verifies data center green energy usage.

Why Infrastructure Transparency Matters

Every time you visit a website, your browser communicates with remote physical servers across the globe. Understanding where your data travels, who owns the hosting infrastructure, and which third-party trackers observe your habits is essential for digital privacy and data sovereignty.

Active Privacy Shield

Websites embed invisible tracking pixels. NetPin actively intercepts and blocks these third-party analytics and ad networks before they load.

Server Geolocation & Jurisdiction

Data protection laws vary by country. NetPin maps the physical hosting server location so you know which jurisdiction governs your data.

Green Hosting Verification

Data centers account for significant global electricity consumption. NetPin verifies whether target servers use renewable energy.

Core Modules

Comprehensive Web Inspection

NetPin equips privacy-conscious users and developers with complete infrastructure insights.

Physical IP Geolocation

Pinpoint the server's city, region, country, and physical distance from your device in real time.

Hosting & ASN Lookup

Identify the Autonomous System Number (ASN), hosting provider, cloud vendor, and ISP routing your traffic.

TLS / SSL Security Score

Evaluate certificate validity, encryption protocol strength, and privacy jurisdiction risk levels instantly.

Privacy Shield Blocker

Take control of your data. NetPin actively intercepts and blocks invasive ad networks, analytical spiders, and cross-site trackers.

Carbon & Energy Awareness

Query green hosting databases to check if the hosting infrastructure relies on verified renewable energy.

Tech Stack Profiler

Curious how a site was built? Instantly detect frontend frameworks, CMS platforms, and CSS libraries powering any webpage.

How NetPin Operates

A non-intrusive workflow built on Chrome's Manifest V3 specifications.

Step 1

Install Extension

Download NetPin source from GitHub and load it into any Chromium browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc) in developer mode.

Step 2

Passive Tab Inspection

Browse the web normally. NetPin's background service worker listens to network navigation events without affecting load times.

Step 3

Decentralized Geolocation Query

NetPin resolves server IPs and queries privacy-preserving nodes for WHOIS, ASN routing, tracker rules, and carbon metrics.

Step 4

Interactive Insights

Click the NetPin extension toolbar icon to view geolocation maps, security scores, tracker details, and exportable logs.

Global Network

Join the NetPin Community

NetPin is driven by developers, security analysts, and privacy advocates worldwide. Connect with our community across platforms.

r/chrome_extensions

Reddit Post & Feedback

Check out our community post on r/chrome_extensions, give feedback on hosting geolocations & third-party tracker features, and discuss new ideas.

Join Discussion on Reddit

Professional Network

LinkedIn Page

Follow project milestones, security engineering updates, data sovereignty research, and professional announcements.

Follow on LinkedIn

Open Source

GitHub Repository

Audit source code, report bugs, review pull requests, and contribute to new extension modules directly.

Contribute on GitHub

Local-First Privacy Architecture

NetPin is designed with strict data minimization principles. We never collect browsing histories or log queries.

Zero Telemetry Collection

All calculations occur locally within your browser extension context or through secure, non-logging proxy endpoints. Your origin IP is never logged.

Auditable Source Code

NetPin is open source under the MIT License. You do not need to rely on promises—inspect our complete codebase on GitHub anytime.

Manual Installation Steps

Follow these four straightforward steps to load NetPin into any Chromium browser:

Clone Code

Clone the repo from GitHub and run npm install in your shell.

Build Project

Execute npm run build to compile extension files into the dist directory.

Enable Dev Mode

Open chrome://extensions in Chrome and switch on Developer mode.

Load Unpacked

Click "Load unpacked" and select the generated dist directory.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NetPin?

NetPin is a browser extension that acts as a real-time inspection tool for web infrastructure. Whenever you visit a site, NetPin identifies the physical server geolocation, ASN network provider, WHOIS ownership records, tracking scripts, and data center energy sources.

Why does server location matter for digital privacy?

Physical server locations dictate which national legal frameworks apply to your data. Understanding host jurisdictions helps users assess privacy rights, data retention laws, and legal protections.

Does NetPin store or share my browsing activity?

No. NetPin strictly follows a local-first design. We maintain no central databases, run no analytics tracking scripts, and never collect browsing logs.

How does NetPin detect hidden trackers?

NetPin passively inspects top-level network requests using Manifest V3 web request rules, comparing third-party domain calls against known tracking database definitions.

What is green web hosting awareness?

NetPin checks target IP addresses against sustainable web databases to verify if data centers operate on verified renewable energy sources like wind or solar.

Developed by

Behind the Project

Md Yusuf (@01iamysf)

Software Engineer turning ideas into real-world projects. Yusuf created NetPin to bring digital infrastructure transparency, server location awareness, and data sovereignty directly to everyday web browsing.

Follow @01iamysf on GitHub