Bot signals · Web crawler
What is Better Stack Uptime?
Better Stack Uptime monitors the sites and services its customers set up. Better Stack says its monitors can change addresses without notice and recommends identifying them by user agent.
01 · Profile
Better Stack Uptime at a glance.
What to look for in your logs, and what the lookup API returns for its addresses.
- Type
- Web crawler
- User agent
Better Uptime Bot- API flag
risk.is_crawler
A user agent alone never sets a flag. Anyone can claim to be Better Stack Uptime; the flag follows the address the request comes from.
02 · In the response
What a match looks like.
A lookup of a Better Stack Uptime address sets risk.is_crawler. The flags come with geolocation and network data in the same response, for API keys on every paid plan.
The response says which kind of bot an address belongs to, not which operator. A request that claims to be Better Stack Uptime while risk.is_crawler is false should not be trusted as Better Stack Uptime.
{
// … location and network fields …
"risk": {
"is_ai": false,
"is_crawler": true,
"is_scanner": false
}
}
03 · Control
Allow or block Better Stack Uptime.
Your options
- robots.txt works only for crawlers that choose to follow it. Check the operator’s documentation for the token it reads.
- Firewall, WAF or CDN. Many offer bot rules you can allow or deny by category. Use them to enforce what robots.txt only asks for.
- In your app. Look up the client address and allow or deny on
risk.is_crawler, alongside the user agent. - Never on the user agent alone. Blocking the name stops only honest clients; allowing it lets anyone in who borrows it.
04 · Questions
About Better Stack Uptime.
What is Better Stack Uptime?
Better Stack Uptime monitors the sites and services its customers set up. Better Stack says its monitors can change addresses without notice and recommends identifying them by user agent.
How do I block Better Stack Uptime?
Deny it at your firewall, WAF or CDN, or look up each client address and deny requests where risk.is_crawler is true. Do not rely on the user agent alone.
Can I trust a request that says it is Better Stack Uptime?
Not on the user agent alone: any client can send “Better Uptime Bot” in its user agent. A user agent alone never sets a flag. Check the address with the free bot checker or the lookup API.
Which risk flag does Better Stack Uptime set?
Its addresses set risk.is_crawler in the lookup response. The risk flags come with every paid plan.
From the blog
Go deeper.
Related bots
Recognise Better Stack Uptime on every request.
is_ai, is_crawler and is_scanner in every lookup, on every paid plan, from 9,00 € a month (VAT included).