Bot Detection Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms behind modern bot detection and enforcement.
AI Referral
An AI referral is a visit whose Referer names a known AI assistant or AI search product; stripped headers make the observed count a floor.
Crawl-to-Referral Ratio
Crawl-to-referral ratio compares AI pages fetched with visitors referred back in one fixed window, expressed as pages crawled per referral.
Generative Engine Optimization
Generative engine optimization makes content discoverable and usable by AI answer engines, while site logs reveal only crawling and referred visits.
Honeytoken
A honeytoken is a planted link, credential, or record no legitimate user should ever touch. Any access to it is deterministic proof of a bot or intruder.
Session Clearance
Session clearance is an enforcement model where real sessions earn a signed pass that travels with the client, so IP rotation no longer resets a bot's slate.
Web Bot Auth
Web Bot Auth is a cryptographic standard that lets bots and AI agents prove their identity by signing HTTP requests with published keys under RFC 9421.
What Is a JA4 Fingerprint?
A JA4 fingerprint summarizes a TLS ClientHello to characterize client software. Learn its uses, limits, and why it is a signal rather than identity proof.
Ready to put the concepts to work?
WebDecoy combines deterministic honeypot detection with rotation-proof enforcement.