Known AhrefsBot IP Ranges
AhrefsBot operates from the following CIDR blocks. These ranges are used by the crawler to access and index web pages for the Ahrefs SEO toolset.
| CIDR Block | IP Range |
|---|---|
| 54.36.148.0/24 | 54.36.148.0 – 54.36.148.255 |
| 54.36.149.0/24 | 54.36.149.0 – 54.36.149.255 |
| 54.36.150.0/24 | 54.36.150.0 – 54.36.150.255 |
| 195.154.122.0/24 | 195.154.122.0 – 195.154.122.255 |
| 195.154.123.0/24 | 195.154.123.0 – 195.154.123.255 |
| 62.210.244.0/24 | 62.210.244.0 – 62.210.244.255 |
| 51.222.253.0/24 | 51.222.253.0 – 51.222.253.255 |
| 51.222.252.0/24 | 51.222.252.0 – 51.222.252.255 |
| 204.236.202.0/24 | 204.236.202.0 – 204.236.202.255 |
| 54.173.70.0/24 | 54.173.70.0 – 54.173.70.255 |
What Is AhrefsBot?
AhrefsBot is the web crawler that powers Ahrefs, one of the most widely used SEO toolsets. It continuously crawls the internet to build and maintain the Ahrefs link index, which contains data on backlinks, referring domains, organic keywords, and more.
AhrefsBot is one of the most active crawlers on the web. It discovers new pages, follows links, and re-crawls known pages to keep its index fresh. Website owners and SEO professionals rely on the data it collects to analyze backlink profiles, track keyword rankings, and audit site health.
Common User-Agent String
When AhrefsBot visits your site, it identifies itself with the following User-Agent header:
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; AhrefsBot/7.0; +http://ahrefs.com/robot/)
You can look for this string in your server access logs (e.g., Apache or Nginx logs) to identify AhrefsBot requests.
How to Verify AhrefsBot via DNS Reverse Lookup
Matching an IP against known ranges is a quick check, but for definitive verification you can perform a DNS reverse lookup. This confirms that the IP genuinely resolves to an Ahrefs-owned hostname.
Run the following command in your terminal:
host 54.36.148.100
If the IP belongs to AhrefsBot, the reverse DNS should resolve to a hostname under the ahrefs.com domain. Then confirm with a forward lookup:
host <returned-hostname>
If the forward lookup returns the same IP, the bot is verified as legitimate. If the reverse DNS does not point to an Ahrefs domain, the request may be from an impersonator spoofing the AhrefsBot User-Agent.
Managing AhrefsBot via robots.txt
If AhrefsBot is consuming too many server resources or you simply do not want your site crawled by Ahrefs, you can block or throttle it using your robots.txt file.
Block AhrefsBot entirely:
User-agent: AhrefsBot Disallow: /
Block AhrefsBot from specific directories:
User-agent: AhrefsBot Disallow: /admin/ Disallow: /private/ Disallow: /tmp/
Slow down the crawl rate:
User-agent: AhrefsBot Crawl-delay: 10
You can also adjust AhrefsBot's crawl rate directly from the Ahrefs Webmaster Tools dashboard if you have a verified site there.
Important: Blocking AhrefsBot means your site will not appear in Ahrefs' backlink index. Other SEO professionals will not be able to see your link data in Ahrefs, which may reduce inbound link-building outreach to your site.
How to use the Ahrefs Bot IP Finder
Bots can spoof user-agent strings — a scraper claiming to be AhrefsBot may not be. Verifying via reverse DNS lookup against Ahrefs' published IPs separates real Ahrefs traffic from impostors.
Enter the IP address
Pull the IP from your access logs for any request claiming the AhrefsBot user-agent.
Run the check
The tool performs a reverse DNS lookup (PTR record). Real AhrefsBot IPs resolve to *.ahrefs.com. Spoofers don't.
Verify forward DNS
Real verification requires both reverse DNS (IP → hostname) and forward DNS (hostname → IP) matching. The tool does both. Forward-only or reverse-only matches aren't sufficient.
Decide: allow, block, or flag
Verified AhrefsBot — allow if you want Ahrefs to index your site for SEO research; block in robots.txt or firewall if you don't. Spoofed AhrefsBot — block at the firewall level.
Why bot verification matters
User-agent strings are trivially spoofed — any scraper can claim to be Googlebot, AhrefsBot, or any other bot. Real verification requires DNS matching against the bot's published infrastructure. Most server-level bot blocking fails because it relies on UA strings alone.
Why people block AhrefsBot
- Hide backlink profile — competitors using Ahrefs see your link-building activity.
- Save bandwidth — Ahrefs crawls aggressively on large sites.
- Prevent traffic estimation — Ahrefs estimates your organic traffic from rankings; blocking them obscures your visibility.
- Reduce spam signal noise — for sites that don't care about Ahrefs metrics.
Why people allow AhrefsBot
- Be discoverable in Ahrefs — outreach prospects use Ahrefs to find you.
- Track your own backlinks — Ahrefs is the largest backlink database; blocking them blinds your own SEO data.
- Competitive parity — most competitors are indexed; blocking puts you at an information disadvantage.
How to verify any bot
The standard verification pattern works for Googlebot, Bingbot, AhrefsBot, and all major bots: reverse DNS the IP to get a hostname; forward DNS the hostname back to an IP; verify the IPs match. Each major bot publishes the hostname pattern its IPs resolve to. Don't trust just the user-agent.
Frequently asked questions
How do I verify a request is really from AhrefsBot?
Reverse DNS the IP and check that it resolves to a hostname ending in .ahrefs.com. Then forward DNS that hostname back and verify the IP matches. Both directions must match. User-agent strings alone are unreliable — anyone can spoof AhrefsBot/7.0.
Should I block AhrefsBot?
Trade-off. Blocking hides your backlinks from competitors but also hides them from your own Ahrefs reports, makes your site less discoverable in Ahrefs-based outreach research, and signals you're hiding something to data-savvy users. Most established sites allow AhrefsBot; competitive-stealth sites sometimes block.
How is AhrefsBot different from Googlebot?
Both are crawlers, but Googlebot powers Google search results (you want it allowed unless you have a specific reason to block specific paths) while AhrefsBot powers Ahrefs' SEO product (optional — depends on whether you want to be indexed by Ahrefs). Both should be verified via reverse DNS, not user-agent.
Can other bots impersonate AhrefsBot?
Yes — UA strings are trivially spoofed. Reverse DNS verification is the only reliable way to confirm a request is genuinely from Ahrefs' infrastructure. Most spoofing attempts come from scrapers trying to bypass your blocks against generic crawlers, hoping AhrefsBot is allowed.
What's the difference between AhrefsBot and AhrefsSiteAudit?
AhrefsBot crawls the open web for Ahrefs' general index. AhrefsSiteAudit crawls only when explicitly invoked by a customer auditing their own site. Both come from *.ahrefs.com hostnames. Block AhrefsBot if you want; allowing AhrefsSiteAudit is required for site owners using Ahrefs' Site Audit feature.