Python-urllib
Python •
Since 2000
Quick Actions
Official Docs
What is Python-urllib?
Python-urllib is the default user agent for Python's built-in urllib library, commonly used for web scraping and HTTP requests. This user agent appears when developers use Python scripts to access web content without specifying a custom user agent. While some legitimate uses include research and data analysis, this generic user agent is sometimes associated with amateur scraping attempts. Website owners often see this user agent in logs from various Python scripts, ranging from simple automation to complex data collection systems.
User Agent String
Python-urllib/3.11
How to Control Python-urllib
Block Completely
To prevent Python-urllib from accessing your entire website, add this to your robots.txt file:
# Block Python-urllib
User-agent: Python-urllib
Disallow: /
Block Specific Directories
To restrict access to certain parts of your site while allowing others:
User-agent: Python-urllib
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /private/
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Allow: /public/
Set Crawl Delay
To slow down the crawl rate (note: not all bots respect this directive):
User-agent: Python-urllib
Crawl-delay: 10
How to Verify Python-urllib
Verification Method:
Generic Python urllib user agent string
Generic Python urllib user agent string
Learn more in the official documentation.
Detection Patterns
Multiple ways to detect Python-urllib in your application:
Basic Pattern
/Python\-urllib/i
Strict Pattern
/^Python\-urllib/3\.11$/
Flexible Pattern
/Python\-urllib[\s\/]?[\d\.]*?/i
Vendor Match
/.*Python.*Python\-urllib/i
Implementation Examples
// PHP Detection for Python-urllib
function detect_python_urllib() {
$user_agent = $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'] ?? '';
$pattern = '/Python\\-urllib/i';
if (preg_match($pattern, $user_agent)) {
// Log the detection
error_log('Python-urllib detected from IP: ' . $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']);
// Set cache headers
header('Cache-Control: public, max-age=3600');
header('X-Robots-Tag: noarchive');
// Optional: Serve cached version
if (file_exists('cache/' . md5($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']) . '.html')) {
readfile('cache/' . md5($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']) . '.html');
exit;
}
return true;
}
return false;
}
# Python/Flask Detection for Python-urllib
import re
from flask import request, make_response
def detect_python_urllib():
user_agent = request.headers.get('User-Agent', '')
pattern = r'Python-urllib'
if re.search(pattern, user_agent, re.IGNORECASE):
# Create response with caching
response = make_response()
response.headers['Cache-Control'] = 'public, max-age=3600'
response.headers['X-Robots-Tag'] = 'noarchive'
return True
return False
# Django Middleware
class PythonurllibMiddleware:
def __init__(self, get_response):
self.get_response = get_response
def __call__(self, request):
if self.detect_bot(request):
# Handle bot traffic
pass
return self.get_response(request)
// JavaScript/Node.js Detection for Python-urllib
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
// Middleware to detect Python-urllib
function detectPythonurllib(req, res, next) {
const userAgent = req.headers['user-agent'] || '';
const pattern = /Python-urllib/i;
if (pattern.test(userAgent)) {
// Log bot detection
console.log('Python-urllib detected from IP:', req.ip);
// Set cache headers
res.set({
'Cache-Control': 'public, max-age=3600',
'X-Robots-Tag': 'noarchive'
});
// Mark request as bot
req.isBot = true;
req.botName = 'Python-urllib';
}
next();
}
app.use(detectPythonurllib);
# Apache .htaccess rules for Python-urllib
# Block completely
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} Python\-urllib [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
# Or redirect to a static version
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} Python\-urllib [NC]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/static/
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ /static/$1 [L]
# Or set environment variable for PHP
SetEnvIfNoCase User-Agent "Python\-urllib" is_bot=1
# Add cache headers for this bot
<If "%{HTTP_USER_AGENT} =~ /Python\-urllib/i">
Header set Cache-Control "public, max-age=3600"
Header set X-Robots-Tag "noarchive"
</If>
# Nginx configuration for Python-urllib
# Map user agent to variable
map $http_user_agent $is_python_urllib {
default 0;
~*Python\-urllib 1;
}
server {
# Block the bot completely
if ($is_python_urllib) {
return 403;
}
# Or serve cached content
location / {
if ($is_python_urllib) {
root /var/www/cached;
try_files $uri $uri.html $uri/index.html @backend;
}
try_files $uri @backend;
}
# Add headers for bot requests
location @backend {
if ($is_python_urllib) {
add_header Cache-Control "public, max-age=3600";
add_header X-Robots-Tag "noarchive";
}
proxy_pass http://backend;
}
}
Should You Block This Bot?
Recommendations based on your website type:
| Site Type | Recommendation | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce | Optional | Evaluate based on bandwidth usage vs. benefits |
| Blog/News | Allow | Increases content reach and discoverability |
| SaaS Application | Block | No benefit for application interfaces; preserve resources |
| Documentation | Selective | Allow for public docs, block for internal docs |
| Corporate Site | Limit | Allow for public pages, block sensitive areas like intranets |
Advanced robots.txt Configurations
E-commerce Site Configuration
User-agent: Python-urllib
Crawl-delay: 5
Disallow: /cart/
Disallow: /checkout/
Disallow: /my-account/
Disallow: /api/
Disallow: /*?sort=
Disallow: /*?filter=
Disallow: /*&page=
Allow: /products/
Allow: /categories/
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
Publishing/Blog Configuration
User-agent: Python-urllib
Crawl-delay: 10
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Disallow: /drafts/
Disallow: /preview/
Disallow: /*?replytocom=
Allow: /
SaaS/Application Configuration
User-agent: Python-urllib
Disallow: /app/
Disallow: /api/
Disallow: /dashboard/
Disallow: /settings/
Allow: /
Allow: /pricing/
Allow: /features/
Allow: /docs/
Quick Reference
User Agent Match
Python-urllib
Robots.txt Name
Python-urllib
Category
other
Respects robots.txt
May not respect
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