Bot signals · Web crawler
What is Copyscape?
Copyscape servers
Copyscape is a plagiarism checker. These requests come from Copyscape’s servers when they fetch a page, for example when someone enters its URL in Copyscape to search the web for copies of it.
01 · Profile
Copyscape at a glance.
What to look for in your logs, and what the lookup API returns for its addresses.
- Type
- Web crawler
- API flag
risk.is_crawler
A user agent alone never sets a flag. Anyone can claim to be Copyscape; the flag follows the address the request comes from.
02 · In the response
What a match looks like.
A lookup of a Copyscape 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 Copyscape while risk.is_crawler is false should not be trusted as Copyscape.
{
// … location and network fields …
"risk": {
"is_ai": false,
"is_crawler": true,
"is_scanner": false
}
}
03 · Control
Allow or block Copyscape.
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 Copyscape.
What is Copyscape?
Copyscape is a plagiarism checker. These requests come from Copyscape’s servers when they fetch a page, for example when someone enters its URL in Copyscape to search the web for copies of it.
How do I block Copyscape?
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 Copyscape?
Not on the user agent alone: any client can send a bot’s name 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 Copyscape 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 Copyscape on every request.
is_ai, is_crawler and is_scanner in every lookup, on every paid plan, from 9,00 € a month (VAT included).