BotD review

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

BotD is a free, open-source JavaScript library for developers who need to identify browser automation in web applications. It runs detection in the browser and returns whether a bot is detected and, when applicable, its kind. The library recognizes automation environments and frameworks such as headless Chrome, Selenium, Playwright-related tools, PhantomJS, and Electron. It is focused on browser detection rather than a broader bot-management service.

Installation can be through a CDN-loaded browser ECMAScript module or through npm or Yarn. That gives teams a direct way to add the library to a web application without requiring a server for detection. BotD also offers an optional monitoring setting for usage-statistics requests. Its MIT license permits developer and commercial use, making it a fit for projects that want a no-cost library they can incorporate into their own browser-side code.

The trade-off is scope: BotD does not provide behavioral detection or mitigation controls, so identifying automation is not the same as blocking or managing bot traffic. It is better suited to developers who want a lightweight browser signal and can decide what to do with the result themselves. Teams looking for a service that handles mitigation, or for a broader detection approach, should consider another product. The project is maintained for critical fixes and regressions, while its near-term roadmap is focused on stability and new features are unlikely soon.

BotD pros and cons

• Where it wins
  • Identifies browser automation tools and returns bot status and kind
  • Loads as a browser ECMAScript module from a CDN or via npm and Yarn
  • MIT-licensed for developer and commercial use
• Where it doesn't
  • Detection runs in the browser and focuses on web applications
  • No behavioral detection or traffic-mitigation controls
  • The near-term roadmap focuses on stability, with new features unlikely soon

BotD fact sheet, pricing and score →

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update