# Bingbot

> Bingbot is Microsoft's crawler for building the index its search and answers draw on. Here's how to recognize it and check a request really is it.

## Bingbot facts

- **Operator:** Microsoft
- **Type:** Crawler
- **Why it fetches:** Builds a search or answer index
- **User agent contains:** `bingbot`
- **Verified by:** published IP ranges, reverse DNS
- **Operator's documentation:** [www.bing.com/webmasters/help/how-to-verify-bingbot-3905dc26](https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/how-to-verify-bingbot-3905dc26)

## How to tell a real Bingbot from an impostor

Anyone can put "bingbot" in a user agent. What can't be faked is below.

- **Check the address.** Microsoft publishes the IP ranges Bingbot uses: [www.bing.com/toolbox/bingbot.json](https://www.bing.com/toolbox/bingbot.json). A request whose user agent says Bingbot from an address outside them is an impostor.
- **Check reverse DNS.** Look up the requesting IP's host name; it should end in `search.msn.com`. Then look that name up and make sure it resolves back to the same IP, since anyone can set a reverse DNS name on their own addresses.

## How Punchline counts Bingbot

Punchline labels a request that names Bingbot with how sure it is: **verified** or **declared** when the evidence checks out, a lower tier when it can't be checked, and **impostor** when the evidence contradicts it. Each visit is counted under Microsoft, with its purpose, so you can see whether Bingbot is reading your site and which pages it reads. [How it works](https://punchlineanalytics.com/how-it-works) · [Known agents](https://punchlineanalytics.com/docs/agents)

[See which agents read your site](https://punchlineanalytics.com/reveal)