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Should I block empty user agent?
If you want to ban anything but common browsers then blocking an empty user-agent might help you a bit. But this will only help against a few non-browsers, most HTTP clients actually set some User-Agent and often they set it to something which looks like a browser in order to bypass simple restrictions.
Can user agent be empty?
Your blank user agent just means that a software developer forgot to add a user agent to their software.
Can user agent be manipulated?
However, the user-agent can be manipulated through a tactic called user-agent spoofing. In user-agent spoofing, bad actors modify elements of the user agent string to obfuscate details of their traffic.
Are user agents reliable?
4 Answers. Yes its reliable for non hacker user. The user agent string is a text that the browsers themselves send to the webserver to identify themselves, so that websites can send different content based on the browser or based on browser compatibility.
Is User-Agent required?
Whether or not it’s REST, it’s still HTTP, and subject to the HTTP specification. Per RFC 7231: A user agent SHOULD send a User-Agent field in each request unless specifically configured not to do so. Just to clarify, the client code should set a User Agent.
Is User-Agent needed?
The User-Agent header is optional in RFC 2616. It SHOULD be used by clients, but it is not REQUIRED to be used. All of the major third-party browsers/clients use it, but custom apps/APIs/bots/etc might not.
What purpose does a User-Agent server in REST API?
HTTP headers | User-Agent The HTTP headers User-Agent is a request header that allows a characteristic string that allows network protocol peers to identify the Operating System and Browser of the web-server. Your browser sends the user agent to every website you connect to.
How do user-agents work?
A User-Agent (UA) is an alphanumeric string that identifies the ‘agent’ or program making a request to a web server for an asset such as a document, image or web page. Deeper information can be returned when the User-Agent string is mapped to an additional set of data about the underlying device.
Is the empty user agent problematic in Apache?
I have some custom analytics code and that code has to analyze only human traffic. I have got a working list of User-agents denoting human traffic and bot traffic, but the empty User-agent is proving to be problematic. And I am getting lots of traffic with the empty User-agent, about 10%.
Is it fun to use an empty user agent?
Having run into the issue of accidentally using an empty User-Agent myself, I can definitely say that it is not fun when a web service treat you differently just because you didn’t think to tell it about your footwear. Every bit of software that accesses the internet isn’t magically given a user agent.
What does user agent have to do with identity?
User-Agent has nothing to do with identity or being human. Think of it like footwear. You are asking your visitors what type footwear they are wearing before you are letting them in.
What does it mean when your user agent is blank?
Every bit of software that accesses the internet isn’t magically given a user agent. Software developers have to program that functionality into their software. Your blank user agent just means that a software developer forgot to add a user agent to their software.