Bot vs Human Detection
What are Bots?
Good Bots
Search engine crawlers, monitoring tools, and legitimate automation that provide value to websites.
Bad Bots
Malicious bots that scrape content, spam forms, or attempt to exploit vulnerabilities.
IP Address Analysis
IP addresses can reveal important clues about whether a visitor is likely a bot or human.
Datacenter IPs
Many bots operate from datacenter IP ranges rather than residential IPs. These IPs are often assigned to cloud providers.
// Check if IP is from a known datacenter
const datacenterRanges = ['192.168.0.0/16', '10.0.0.0/8'];
const isDatacenter = checkIPRange(ip, datacenterRanges);Geographic Anomalies
Requests from unusual locations or rapid location changes can indicate bot behavior.
// Check for suspicious geographic patterns
if (user.location !== expectedLocation) {
flagAsSuspicious('location_mismatch');
}IP Reputation
Some IPs have known reputations for spam or malicious activity.
// Check IP against reputation databases
const reputation = await checkIPReputation(ip);
if (reputation.score > 0.7) {
blockRequest('bad_reputation');
}User Agent Analysis
User agent strings provide detailed information about the client making the request.
Human User Agent
Bot User Agent
Malicious Bot
Common Bot Indicators
- Generic names: "python-requests", "curl", "wget"
- Missing details: Incomplete or malformed user agents
- Outdated browsers: Very old browser versions
- Automated tools: Headless browsers, testing frameworks
- Malformed strings: Invalid syntax or encoding
Behavioral Patterns
Analyzing user behavior can help distinguish bots from humans.
Request Patterns
- Humans: Natural browsing patterns with varied timing
- Bots: Rapid, sequential requests or scripted patterns
Interaction Patterns
- Humans: Mouse movements, scrolling, reading time
- Bots: Direct navigation, no human-like interactions
Session Characteristics
- Humans: Varied session lengths, return visits
- Bots: Brief sessions, single-page visits
IP2FY Integration
Use IP2FY's geolocation data to enhance your bot detection capabilities.
Enhanced Bot Detection
async function detectBot(ip, userAgent) {
// Get IP geolocation data
const response = await fetch(`https://api.ip2fy.com/${ip}`);
const geoData = await response.json();
let botScore = 0;
// Check if IP is from datacenter
if (geoData.org && geoData.org.includes('Amazon') ||
geoData.org && geoData.org.includes('Microsoft')) {
botScore += 0.3;
}
// Check user agent for bot signatures
const botSignatures = ['python-requests', 'curl', 'bot', 'spider'];
if (botSignatures.some(sig => userAgent.toLowerCase().includes(sig))) {
botScore += 0.5;
}
// Check for unusual locations
if (geoData.country === 'Unknown' || !geoData.city) {
botScore += 0.2;
}
return {
isBot: botScore > 0.5,
score: botScore,
geoData: geoData
};
}Why Use IP2FY for Bot Detection?
Best Practices
Multi-Layer Detection
Use multiple signals (IP, user agent, behavior) rather than relying on a single method.
Whitelist Known Good Bots
Allow legitimate bots like Googlebot and Bingbot to ensure proper indexing.
Rate Limiting
Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse regardless of bot detection accuracy.
Regular Updates
Keep your detection rules updated as bot behaviors evolve over time.
Privacy Compliance
Ensure your bot detection practices comply with applicable privacy regulations.
Testing
Regularly test your detection to avoid blocking legitimate users.
Implement Bot Detection Today
Start protecting your website from unwanted bot traffic with IP2FY's geolocation API.
