Published on 2025-08-07T06:18:08Z

DuckDuckBot

DuckDuckBot is the official web crawler for DuckDuckGo, the well-known privacy-focused search engine. Its purpose is to systematically browse and index public web content to build the search database that powers DuckDuckGo's search results. For website owners, being crawled by DuckDuckBot is beneficial as it allows your content to be discovered by a growing audience of privacy-conscious users.

What is DuckDuckBot?

DuckDuckBot is the dedicated web crawler for the privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo. Its function is to systematically browse the internet to discover, analyze, and index web content for its search results. The bot clearly identifies itself in server logs with the user-agent string DuckDuckBot/1.1; (+http://duckduckgo.com/duckduckbot.html). As a legitimate and well-behaved crawler, DuckDuckBot respects the rules specified in a website's robots.txt file and operates from a known set of IP addresses owned by DuckDuckGo, allowing for easy verification.

Why is DuckDuckBot crawling my site?

DuckDuckBot is visiting your website to gather information that will enhance DuckDuckGo's search capabilities. Its presence in your logs means it is discovering new content, checking for updates to existing pages, or evaluating the structure and relevance of your site's information for inclusion in its search index. The frequency of its visits is determined by factors like your content update schedule and the relevance of your site to DuckDuckGo's users. This is a standard and authorized activity for a search engine and is necessary for your content to appear in its search results.

What is the purpose of DuckDuckBot?

The essential purpose of DuckDuckBot is to build and maintain DuckDuckGo's independent search index. By crawling the web, it enables DuckDuckGo to provide its users with relevant, up-to-date search results while upholding its strong commitment to privacy. The data it collects helps the search engine understand what content exists, how it is organized, and its relevance to different search queries. For website owners, having your content crawled by DuckDuckBot offers the key benefit of visibility in DuckDuckGo's search results, connecting you with a privacy-conscious audience.

How do I block DuckDuckBot?

If you wish to prevent DuckDuckBot from crawling your website, you can add a rule to your robots.txt file. Keep in mind that blocking this bot will prevent your pages from being indexed and appearing in DuckDuckGo search results.

To block DuckDuckBot, add the following lines to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: DuckDuckBot
Disallow: /

How to verify the authenticity of the user-agent operated by DuckDuckGo?

Reverse IP lookup technique

To verify user-agent authenticity, you can use host linux command two times with the IP address of the requester.

```
> host IPAddressOfRequest
```
This command returns the reverse lookup hostname (e.g., 4.4.8.8.in-addr.arpa.).

> host ReverseDNSFromTheOutputOfFirstRequest

If the output matches the original IP address and the domain is associated with a trusted operator (e.g., DuckDuckGo), the user-agent can be considered legitimate.

IP list lookup technique

Some operators provide a public list of IP addresses used by their crawlers. This list can be cross-referenced to verify a user-agent's authenticity. However, both operators and website owners may find it challenging to maintain an up-to-date list, so use this method with caution and in conjunction with other verification techniques.