Block bots at signup, login, and checkout
{ "ip_address": "34.201.13.55", "is_hosting": true, "is_vpn": false, "is_proxy": false, "is_tor": false, "is_abuse": true, "asn_type": "hosting" }
The signals that expose a bot
Disposable emails and VOIP phone numbers on automated signups.
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How to block bots
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Frequently asked questions
What is bot detection?
Bot detection is the practice of identifying automated traffic before it acts in your product. At signup, login, or checkout, you score the email, phone, and IP behind a request and flag the ones that look automated, so you can block or challenge them instead of treating a bot like a real user.
How can you tell if traffic is coming from bots?
The clearest tells are infrastructure signals: a data-center or hosting IP instead of a residential one, a VPN, proxy, or Tor connection, a disposable email, and a VOIP phone number. Bursts of signups from the same network or a sudden spike with no matching engagement are strong hints too.
What is the difference between bot detection and bot mitigation?
Detection is figuring out that a request is a bot. Mitigation is what you do about it: block, rate-limit, challenge, or send to review. You need both. Abstract sits on the detection side, returning the signals you feed into whatever mitigation rules fit your product.
Can bots bypass CAPTCHA?
Yes. Modern bots solve or bypass many CAPTCHAs, so CAPTCHA alone is not enough. Layering identity signals underneath, like data-center IP, VPN or proxy flags, and disposable email, catches automated traffic that sails through a CAPTCHA, without adding friction for real users.
Does bot detection add latency to signup?
No meaningful latency. Each check is a single request that returns in well under a second, so you can score traffic inline at signup or login. Only requests that cross your risk threshold get extra verification, so real users pass straight through.
What signals expose a bot?
The strongest signals are the IP (hosting or data-center ASN, VPN, proxy, Tor, and known abuse), the email (disposable or throwaway), and the phone (VOIP line type). Together they expose the infrastructure most bots run on. Sophisticated bots on residential proxies need a behavioral layer on top.
How does Abstract detect bots?
Call Abstract's IP Intelligence, Email Validation, and Phone Validation APIs when a request hits signup, login, or checkout. You get clear true or false flags for hosting IPs, VPN, proxy, Tor, disposable email, and VOIP numbers, so you can block or challenge automated traffic. Start free, no credit card.
