DuckDuckBot User-Agent & Blocking Rules
Operated by DuckDuckGo. Verify the official user-agent string and safety status for this bot. Use the tools below to run a live crawlability test and get copy-paste robots.txt rules to manage its access. Crawler info last updated on .
What is DuckDuckBot?
DuckDuckBot is the web crawler for DuckDuckGo. While DuckDuckGo largely sources results from Bing, this bot is used for favicon fetching and other specific indexing tasks.
Test if DuckDuckBot can access your URL
Enter URL to test if DuckDuckBot is allowed or blocked.
Is DuckDuckBot safe?
Yes, DuckDuckBot is considered safe.
This bot is verified and generally respected by the SEO community.
For more information about our safety badges, visit our documentation.
User-Agent String used by DuckDuckBot
DuckDuckBotHow to block DuckDuckBot with robots.txt?
Add the following standard robots.txt rule to prevent DuckDuckBot from accessing your site.
User-agent: DuckDuckBot Disallow: /
What happens if I block DuckDuckBot?
Critical Impact
Blocking DuckDuckBot will prevent your website from appearing in search results. This will significantly reduce your organic traffic and visibility. Only block if you intentionally want to remove your site from this search engine.
Common use cases for DuckDuckBot
Understanding how DuckDuckBot is typically used can help you make informed decisions about whether to allow or block it on your website.
- Crawls and indexes web pages for search results
- Discovers new and updated content on your website
- Analyzes page structure, content, and links for ranking
- Renders JavaScript to understand dynamic content
- Checks for mobile-friendliness and page speed