# Bot detection

Bot detection is the set of techniques a website uses to tell automated clients from human visitors: IP reputation and autonomous-system class, request rate and timing, TLS and HTTP fingerprints, browser and device fingerprints, JavaScript challenges and behavioural signals. The verdict decides whether a request receives the normal page, a CAPTCHA, degraded content or a block. Proxies address the IP part of that equation and nothing else.


## Layers of detection

| Layer | Signals | What helps |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Network | IP reputation, ASN class, geolocation consistency | Residential, ISP or mobile exits in the right country |
| Transport | TLS fingerprint (JA3/JA4), HTTP/2 settings, header order | A real browser or a client that imitates one faithfully |
| Browser | Canvas, fonts, WebGL, screen, time zone, language | Consistent profiles; one identity per session |
| Behaviour | Rate, navigation paths, mouse and scroll events, timing | Human-like pacing, sticky sessions for flows |


## What a proxy changes

A proxy replaces the network layer. A datacenter exit fails the first row; a residential exit passes it. Every other row is unchanged, which is why a perfect residential pool still gets challenged by a crawler with a headless-browser fingerprint at machine speed.


## Signs you are being detected

- HTTP 403 or 429 on pages a browser loads fine.
- CAPTCHAs on the first request.
- Pages that render but with prices or listings missing (soft blocks).
- Redirects to an "unusual traffic" page.


## How it works at ProxShift

ProxShift documents which network to use per target in the use-case guides: residential for sites that score visitors, ISP for accounts, mobile for the most protected platforms, datacenter where trust is not tested.

Source: https://proxshift.com/glossary/bot-detection