You saw AS15169 on an IP address, probably in a log line claiming to be Googlebot, and want to confirm it. AS15169 is Google's primary autonomous system. This page explains what the ASN covers and how to use it to separate real Google traffic from fakes.
What is AS15169?
AS15169 is the main Autonomous System Number operated by Google LLC. It carries a large share of Google's public-facing services and its crawlers, and it is one of the most recognizable ASNs on the internet. Any route originating from AS15169 belongs to Google's network. For the concept, see what an ASN is.
- ASN: AS15169
- Operator: Google LLC
- Type: Hosting / content (Google services and crawlers)
- Note: Google Cloud customer workloads largely use a separate ASN, AS396982
What runs on AS15169?
AS15169 carries Google's own traffic: Search, the Googlebot crawler, Gmail, YouTube edge services, and more. Crucially for anyone filtering bots, genuine Googlebot originates from AS15169. Google Cloud Platform customer servers generally announce from a different ASN (AS396982), which is why not everything Google-adjacent shares this number.
Why AS15169 matters for bot verification
Because so much traffic pretends to be Googlebot, the ASN is your fastest authenticity check. A request with a Googlebot user-agent whose IP belongs to AS15169 is plausible; the same user-agent from a hosting ASN like OVH or Hetzner is fake. The ASN check is quicker than DNS and eliminates most impostors in one step. See how to verify Googlebot IPs for the full method.
Should you block AS15169?
No. Blocking AS15169 would block Googlebot and hurt your search indexing, along with legitimate Google services. The goal with AS15169 is verification, not blocking: confirm that traffic claiming to be Google actually originates here, and treat anything that does not as suspect.
How to check an IP against AS15169
To confirm an IP belongs to Google, look up its ASN. Abstract's free ASN Lookup tool returns the ASN and operator for any address. In code, the IP Intelligence API returns the ASN and type in one request, so your bot filter can confirm real Googlebot and reject hosting-ASN impostors automatically. This underpins reliable bot detection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AS15169?
AS15169 is Google's primary Autonomous System Number. It carries many of Google's services and its crawlers, and genuine Googlebot traffic originates from it.
Is Googlebot always on AS15169?
Genuine Googlebot traffic comes from Google's network, AS15169, and its published ranges. A Googlebot user-agent from any hosting ASN is an impostor.
Is Google Cloud on AS15169?
Mostly no. Google's own services use AS15169, while Google Cloud customer workloads largely announce from a separate ASN (AS396982). The distinction matters when you score cloud-hosted traffic.
Should I block AS15169?
No. Blocking it would stop Googlebot from crawling your site and cut off legitimate Google services. Use the ASN to verify Google traffic, not to block it.
How do I check if an IP is AS15169?
Enter the IP into Abstract's ASN Lookup tool or call the IP Intelligence API to confirm whether the ASN is AS15169 (Google).
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