Bot IP: 173.252.107.4
Bot Name: Facebook Crawler
facebookexternalhit is the user agent for Facebook's web crawler, used to fetch and preview content when links are shared on Facebook platforms.
Unverified
Track-A-Bot Trust Score: 61/100
61
score
0255075100
Why Track-A-Bot rated this IP (tap to expand)
Identity
- ✅ Marked as bot traffic
- ✅ Bot name present
- ✅ User-agent matches bot name
- ✅ User-agent includes identity link/email
Hostname
- ✅ Hostname observed
- ℹ️ Hostname does not resemble bot name
- ℹ️ Hostname status not verified
- ✅ No hostname mismatch flags
Behavior
- ℹ️ No /robots.txt request observed
- ✅ No referrer (typical crawler behavior)
- ⚠️ Many non-200/304 responses
- 📌 Visits: 1
- ⏱️ Age: 0h
Penalties
- ✅ No major spoof pattern
- ✅ No fingerprint fields
- ✅ Cookies not enabled
- ✅ No connection type
Total visits: 148 First seen: Mar 17th, 2024 10:08 PM Last seen: Dec 12th, 2025 7:23 PM
Known Hostname(s)
fwdproxy-rva-004.fbsv.net
Known User Agent(s)
facebookexternalhit/1.1 (+http://www.facebook.com/externalhit_uatext.php)meta-externalagent/1.1 (+https://developers.facebook.com/docs/sharing/webmasters/crawler)
Common User-Agent Tokens
These are identifiers found inside user-agent strings we observed for facebookexternalhit.
Token
Seen
First seen
Last seen
facebookexternalhit/1.1
34,305
3/16/24
12/12/25
facebookexternalhit/1.1
34,305 seen
facebookexternalhit/1.1
34,305 seen
First
3/16/24
Last
12/12/25
10_11_1
2,004
6/8/24
12/12/25
10_11_1
2,004 seen
10_11_1
2,004 seen
First
6/8/24
Last
12/12/25
facebot
2,004
6/8/24
12/12/25
facebot
2,004 seen
facebot
2,004 seen
First
6/8/24
Last
12/12/25
twitterbot/1.0
2,004
6/8/24
12/12/25
twitterbot/1.0
2,004 seen
twitterbot/1.0
2,004 seen
First
6/8/24
Last
12/12/25
acebookexternalhit/1.0
1
12/12/25
12/12/25
acebookexternalhit/1.0
1 seen
acebookexternalhit/1.0
1 seen
First
12/12/25
Last
12/12/25
Identity Links
These are URLs we observed in association with facebookexternalhit (often used as an identity, help, or policy link).
URL
Seen
First seen
Last seen
First
3/16/24
Last
12/12/25
First
12/12/25
Last
12/12/25
First
5/14/24
Last
12/12/25
Bot FAQ for this IP
Why is meta-webindexer visiting my website?
The bot 'meta-webindexer' is visiting your website to access and index content, likely for use in social media previews or search features. According to the user agent and hostname (fwdproxy-rva-004.fbsv.net), it appears to be associated with Meta (Facebook). Bots like this typically fetch pages when users share your links on Facebook or related platforms. If you want to control its access, you can use the robots.txt file to allow or disallow specific bots. To verify the bot's identity, check the reverse DNS of the IP (173.252.107.4) and confirm it resolves to a Meta-owned domain.
What does meta-webindexer do?
'meta-webindexer' is a web crawler that scans your website to gather information, usually for generating link previews or indexing content for Meta's services. Its user agent string references Meta's developer documentation, suggesting it follows standard crawling practices. The bot requests both content pages and robots.txt, indicating it attempts to respect site rules. If you want to manage its activity, update your robots.txt file and monitor your server logs for unusual patterns.
Is meta-webindexer safe?
Based on the user agent, hostname, and behavior, 'meta-webindexer' appears to be a legitimate bot from Meta (Facebook). However, always exercise caution: verify the IP's reverse DNS, monitor for excessive requests, and ensure your site is protected against abuse. Use rate limiting or a Web Application Firewall (WAF) if you notice high traffic. You can block or allow the bot via robots.txt. If you have concerns, consult Meta's official documentation or support channels for further verification.
This page provides a detailed lookup for the bot with the IP address of 173.252.107.4, based on real-world traffic observed across websites using Track-A-Bot software. Use this information to verify whether activity from this IP belongs to a legitimate search engine crawler, or to analyze bot behavior on your website.