We started building our Browser Detection Technology in 2010, along with the website. It started out as our own User Agent Parsing library.
In July 2014 we launched the API to provide external access to the user agent parser.
In August 2018 we launched version 2 of the API, which provided more API end points, including Batch User Agent Parsing, the latest browser version numbers, and access to our database of user agent strings.
In October 2022 we launched version 3 of the API, which uses Client Hints, as well as User Agents to perform browser detection.
View a detailed version history of the API.
We continue to develop and expand the user agent parser, which forms a part of our overarching Browser Detection Technology.
The main aspect of this version of the API is the new "Detect" end point, which was launched with Version 3 of the API. Instead of just the user agent strings from your visitor, your website now sends all the HTTP headers from your visitor's requests (including the User Agent String and all the Client Hints headers), and we use that data to determine the browser, operating system, device model, hardware and software types, and more - that they are using.
This gives us more potential for spotting faked or risky requests to your site, as well as providing even more detail and accuracy for detecting what software your visitors are using.
The API also provides the latest version numbers for popular web browsers, operating systems and plugins.
While user agents are no longer the primary focus off the API, they are still important, and we continue to provide API resources for working directly with user agents (instead of looking at all your visitor's HTTP headers wholistically).
If you specifically need to parse user agents we still have the user agent parsing end point. And it tells you whether or not the agent software is up to date.
We also let you access the parser in a "batch" mode. You can also get the latest version numbers of web browsers and plugins via the API.