I remember there used to be a site where you could paste a URL and it would show you the entire source code of the page, including PHP and ASP scripts. I used it once before I formatted my PC, and now I can’t find it anywhere. Does anyone know such a site? I’m sure it exists because I saw it with my own eyes. It even showed comments and meta tags.
Topic Summary: Looking for a site that displays full server-side source code (PHP, ASP) from a URL—showed comments, meta tags. Anyone know it?
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title: Server vs Client Code Visibility
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flowchart TD
A[User Requests Page] --> B[Server Processes Request]
B --> C[Server Executes Server-Side Code]
C --> D[Server Sends HTML/CSS/JS]
D --> E[Browser Renders Page]
E --> F[User Sees Output]
F --> G[User Can View Client-Side Source]
C -.-> H[Server-Side Code Not Visible]
Topic Overview (Wikipedia):
Server-side scripting is a technique used in web development which involves employing scripts on a web server which produces a response customized for each user’s (client’s) request to the website. Scripts can be written in any of a number of server-side scripting languages that are available. Server-side scripting is distinguished from client-side scripting where embedded scripts, such as JavaScript, are run client-side in a web browser, but both techniques are often used together. The alternative to either or both types of scripting is for the web server itself to deliver a static web page.
— Read more on Wikipedia
YouTube Video:
Official Documentation & Reference Links:
I’m afraid that site either doesn’t exist or you misremember what it showed. Here’s the thing: PHP and ASP are server-side languages. That means the code runs on the server, and only the output (usually HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) is sent to the browser. The original PHP code is never transmitted to the client. If a site claimed to show you PHP source, it would be impossible unless the server was misconfigured to serve the raw PHP files without executing them — which would be a massive security hole.
What you can see is the client-side source: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Every browser has a built-in “View Source” feature (right-click > View Page Source) and more advanced DevTools (F12). There are also online tools that let you fetch and display the source of any URL, but they only show what the browser receives — never the server-side code.
Modern tools for inspecting web pages
- Browser DevTools (F12): Network tab shows all requests and responses, including headers and body.
- View Source: Ctrl+U in most browsers shows the raw HTML.
- curl or wget: Command-line tools to fetch page content.
So, no, you cannot view PHP/ASP source from a remote URL. If you really saw it, the server was probably not executing the scripts — which is rare and not something you’d find on a public tool.
Just to reinforce what jlhaslip said: the separation between client-side and server-side is fundamental to how the web works.
When you request a PHP page, the web server (Apache, Nginx, etc.) passes the file to the PHP interpreter. The interpreter executes the code, and the result is a plain HTML document, which is then sent to your browser. The PHP code never leaves the server.
Why you can’t see server-side code
- Security: If server-side code was visible, anyone could read database passwords, business logic, and exploit vulnerabilities.
- Performance: Server-side code is compiled/interpreted on the fly and its output is optimized for delivery.
What you can do instead
If you’re learning PHP or ASP and want to see how a site works, you can:
- Use browser DevTools to inspect network requests and see what data is sent/received.
- Look at the HTML structure and JavaScript to understand client-side behavior.
- Learn by building your own sites on a local server (or using Xisto’s free hosting with cPanel).
For those who still want a “view source” tool
There are online services that fetch and display a page’s raw HTML, but they won’t show server-side code. For example, you can use web.archive.org to see historical versions of pages, but again, only the rendered HTML.
So, the site you remember likely showed the HTML output — not the PHP/ASP source. If you find a site claiming otherwise, it’s either a scam or a very insecure server.