# DuckDuckBot

Operator: DuckDuckGo
Purpose: Web search
Reviewed: 2026-09-14
HTTP identifier: DuckDuckBot
robots.txt token: DuckDuckBot

## What is DuckDuckBot?

Crawls websites for DuckDuckGo Search.

## How to identify it

Look for the DuckDuckBot identifier in a request’s User-Agent. This is a name match, not identity verification. Version strings may change.

## How to check identity

Match the source IP with DuckDuckGo’s published duckduckbot.json list linked from its crawler help page.

## Access and robots.txt

The operator documents robots.txt rules for this identifier.

Optional full-site opt-out; merge with existing rules only if intended. Not a security control.

```text
User-agent: DuckDuckBot
Disallow: /
```

## What it means in your analytics

Crawling is an input to search discovery, with clicks measured separately.

## Useful measures

URL coverage; Crawl errors; Repeat crawls.

## What to check next

Review important page responses and DuckDuckGo referral traffic.

## Sources

- [duckduckgo.com](https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/results/duckduckbot)

Operator facts are source-backed; interpretation and actions are Apostl guidance.

## Related profiles

- [DuckAssistBot](https://apostl.dev/bots/duckassistbot)
- [Googlebot](https://apostl.dev/bots/googlebot)
- [Applebot](https://apostl.dev/bots/applebot)

[Start measuring agent traffic](https://apostl.dev/start/agent-analytics)