An IP address is a unique numerical identifier that is assigned to each network-connected device that uses the Internet Protocol for communication; simply put, this includes most devices we use today (i.e. laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc.). For business websites, verifying user IP addresses can provide valuable insight into client-specific demographics, allowing them to effectively target their content.
However, not all IP addresses are valid – some can be a bot, botnet, or other non-user entity that can either skew your data or potentially cause harm to your business or clients. This article will explore a free solution that can check if a single IP address is a bot in Java by leveraging real-time signals against known high-probability bots. While there are some useful bots out there, such as chatbots and search engine bots, we want to ensure that there are no “bad” bots lurking in an IP address that could pose a threat.