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Dev.to API blocks 'urllib' User-Agent substring, not general bots

By PulseAugur Editorial · [1 sources] ·

A developer discovered that dev.to's API blocks requests containing the substring "urllib" in the User-Agent header, rather than blocking based on general bot-like behavior. This was found through testing various User-Agent strings, revealing that common scripting clients like `curl` and `PostmanRuntime` are permitted, while even custom User-Agents with "urllib" are blocked. The developer's own scripts were inadvertently working because their User-Agent strings did not contain the forbidden substring, leading to a misunderstanding of the actual blocking mechanism. AI

IMPACT Understanding API-specific User-Agent filtering can prevent unexpected access issues for automated tools.

RANK_REASON Developer's technical blog post detailing a discovery about API behavior.

Read on dev.to — MCP tag →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 1 sources. How we write summaries →

Dev.to API blocks 'urllib' User-Agent substring, not general bots

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Developer's technical blog post detailing a discovery about API behavior.
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  1. dev.to — MCP tag TIER_1 English(EN) · Enjoy Kumawat ·

    My Scripts Say dev.to Blocks "the Default urllib User-Agent." That's Not the Actual Rule.

    <p>Two scripts in my <code>my-git-manager</code> repo — <code>publish_devto.py</code> and <code>reply_comments.py</code> — both carry the same one-line comment on the same header:<br /> </p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight python"><code><span class…

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