What is t3versionsBot?

t3versionsBot is a specialized web crawler operated by T3Versions, a private project created by Torben Hansen. This bot is designed specifically to identify and analyze websites running the TYPO3 content management system (CMS) across the internet. You can learn more about the bot on its official documentation page.

The bot identifies itself in server logs with the user agent string: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; t3versionsBot/1.0; +https://www.t3versions.com/bot). This follows standard conventions for crawler identification, including the bot name, version, and a link to documentation.

Unlike general-purpose crawlers that index content, t3versionsBot performs lightweight checks focused exclusively on detecting TYPO3 signatures. It's classified as a developer helper bot that collects statistical data about TYPO3 deployments rather than scraping content or user information.

Why is t3versionsBot crawling my site?

If you notice t3versionsBot in your logs, it's visiting your site to determine if you're running the TYPO3 content management system. The bot follows a simple process: it makes a GET request to your domain, follows any redirects (such as from HTTP to HTTPS), and then analyzes the response for TYPO3 fingerprints.

The bot typically makes a single request per domain unless it encounters redirects. It doesn't continuously crawl your site or deeply index your content. You'll likely see this bot if your site runs TYPO3 or has technical signatures that resemble TYPO3 implementations.

The crawling is part of a broader initiative to gather statistics about TYPO3 usage across the web. This is an authorized crawler that follows standard web protocols and isn't designed to overload servers or extract sensitive information.

What is the purpose of t3versionsBot?

t3versionsBot supports the TYPO3 open-source community by aggregating statistical data about how the CMS is being used globally. When it identifies a TYPO3 website, it saves the domain name to a database for further version analysis.

The collected data is processed for statistical purposes only and made publicly available at t3versions.com/statistics. These statistics help developers, administrators, and the TYPO3 community understand adoption rates, version distribution, and general usage trends.

For website owners running TYPO3, this data can provide valuable insights into how their implementation compares to others and whether they're using current, secure versions. The project has no commercial interests and focuses solely on supporting the open-source TYPO3 ecosystem.

How do I block t3versionsBot?

The t3versionsBot respects the standard robots.txt protocol, making it straightforward to control its access to your site. If you wish to block the bot completely, you can add the following directives to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: t3versionsBot
Disallow: /

This instructs the bot not to crawl any part of your website. The bot's documentation confirms it will honor these directives.

Keep in mind that blocking this bot has minimal impact on most websites. Since it only collects anonymous statistical data about TYPO3 usage, blocking it simply means your site won't be included in the TYPO3 usage statistics. For TYPO3 users, allowing the bot can contribute valuable data to the community while posing minimal load on your server resources.

t3versionsBot