User Agent Parser
Analyze browser and device information from User Agent strings
About the User Agent Parser
This user agent parser takes any user agent string you supply and extracts the browser, version, rendering engine, operating system and device type — including identifying bots and crawlers in server logs.
A user agent parser is for strings you did not generate. Analytics exports, server access logs and bug reports all contain user agent values, and reading them raw is unpleasant because the format is a pile of historical accident.
Almost every browser claims to be Mozilla and includes AppleWebKit and KHTML tokens it has no real relationship with, because sites once sniffed for those names and browsers copied them to avoid being locked out. Parsing extracts the parts that actually mean something.
Bot identification is the most practical use. Separating Googlebot, Bingbot, uptime monitors and scrapers from real visitors is what makes a traffic figure meaningful, since automated requests can easily be a large share of hits on a small site. To see your own string instead, use the My User Agent page.
How to use the User Agent Parser
- Paste the user agent string. Enter the value from your log, analytics export or bug report.
- Read the breakdown. See browser, version, engine, operating system and device type.
- Check for a bot. Identify crawlers, monitors and scrapers.
- Repeat for other strings. Parse each value you need to classify.
User Agent Parser features
- Parses any supplied user agent string
- Browser, version and rendering engine extraction
- Operating system and version detection
- Device type classification
- Bot and crawler identification
- Runs entirely in your browser
Frequently asked questions
Why do user agent strings mention Mozilla?
Historical accident. Sites once sniffed for that name, so every browser copied it to avoid being locked out.
Can it identify bots?
Yes. Crawlers, uptime monitors and scrapers are identified, which is what makes a traffic figure meaningful.
Is user agent sniffing reliable?
No, and browsers are reducing what they disclose. Use feature detection in code rather than parsing names.
How is this different from My User Agent?
That shows your own browser's string. This parses any string you supply.
Is the string uploaded?
No. Parsing happens entirely in your browser.