Many websites get a good chunk of their traffic from bots. While some bots are harmless, others can be dangerous. These bad bots can cause site performance issues, impact advertising revenue, and even steal sensitive data. Hackers and fraudsters use them to execute malicious attacks on e-commerce sites, stealing credit card information, personal data, or proprietary business information. They can also generate spam and other types of ad fraud.

Detecting and blocking bots can be a challenge. Several techniques can be used to identify bot traffic, including using analytics tools like Google Analytics and identifying unusual spikes in visits or abnormally low average engagement time per session. Another technique is to use a bot blocklist that blocks illegitimate or malicious bot IP address detection from accessing your website or app. Some of these services work with reCAPTCHA and other forms of anti-bot security, while others employ IP reputation checks and historical data analysis.

Detecting Bots: How to Identify IP Addresses in Your Web Traffic

The most effective way to detect bots is to use a bot management solution that works in real time to identify non-human traffic. This solution combines cutting-edge technology with robust algorithms to help protect against all types of bots, from simple scripted ones to sophisticated malware-infected devices.

It can utilize unique device fingerprinting, dynamic Turing tests that adapt based on user behavior and the type of bot being detected, JavaScript challenges to identify suspicious activity and patented semi-supervised machine learning to detect new patterns of malicious behavior.

In addition, it should be able to monitor the entire stack and detect all kinds of bots, including those that are using proxies, VPNs, and Tor connections. A bot detection API can quickly and accurately identify non-human traffic, ensuring your application is protected from slow-loading bots that negatively impact performance.