Bot signals · Web crawler
What is Splunk Synthetic Monitoring?
Splunk Synthetic Monitoring public locations
Splunk Synthetic Monitoring runs the browser, uptime and API tests its customers set up to monitor the performance of their web pages and applications, from public locations around the world.
01 · Profile
Splunk Synthetic Monitoring 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 Splunk Synthetic Monitoring; the flag follows the address the request comes from.
02 · In the response
What a match looks like.
A lookup of a Splunk Synthetic Monitoring 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 Splunk Synthetic Monitoring while risk.is_crawler is false should not be trusted as Splunk Synthetic Monitoring.
{
// … location and network fields …
"risk": {
"is_ai": false,
"is_crawler": true,
"is_scanner": false
}
}
03 · Control
Allow or block Splunk Synthetic Monitoring.
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 Splunk Synthetic Monitoring.
What is Splunk Synthetic Monitoring?
Splunk Synthetic Monitoring runs the browser, uptime and API tests its customers set up to monitor the performance of their web pages and applications, from public locations around the world.
How do I block Splunk Synthetic Monitoring?
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 Splunk Synthetic Monitoring?
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 Splunk Synthetic Monitoring 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 Splunk Synthetic Monitoring on every request.
is_ai, is_crawler and is_scanner in every lookup, on every paid plan, from 9,00 € a month (VAT included).