vkShare

What is vkShare?

vkShare is a specialized web fetcher bot operated by VK Group, the company behind VKontakte (VK), which is one of Russia's largest social networks. This bot functions as a metadata extraction tool that visits web pages when users share links on the VK platform. vkShare is classified as a social media fetcher bot, similar to those used by Facebook and Twitter, but specifically designed for the VK ecosystem.

The bot works by sending HTTP requests to web pages that users share on VK, then extracting metadata like titles, descriptions, and images to generate rich preview cards in the social network's feed. When vkShare visits your site, it identifies itself with the user agent string Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; vkShare; +http://vk.com/dev/Share). This distinctive signature helps server administrators identify and properly handle requests from this bot.

Unlike comprehensive web crawlers that index entire sites, vkShare only visits specific URLs that users actively share on the VK platform, making its behavior more targeted and on-demand rather than systematic.

Why is vkShare crawling my site?

vkShare visits your website when a user shares one of your links on VK's social media platform. The bot's primary purpose is to fetch metadata from your page to create attractive, informative link previews when your content appears in VK feeds, messages, or posts.

The frequency of vkShare's visits directly correlates with how often your content is shared on VK. Popular websites that receive frequent shares from Russian-speaking audiences will see more activity from this bot. Each visit is triggered by a specific sharing action, rather than by automated scheduling or comprehensive site crawling.

These visits are generally considered authorized and legitimate as they enhance how your content appears when shared on a major social platform. The bot is accessing publicly available information that you've intentionally published for visitors to see.

What is the purpose of vkShare?

vkShare supports VK's social sharing functionality by generating rich preview cards that make shared links more engaging and informative. When a user shares a link on VK, the bot extracts key elements like Open Graph tags (og:title, og:image, og:description), Twitter card metadata, or standard HTML title and description tags to create visually appealing previews.

This process benefits both VK users and website owners. For users, these previews provide context about links before clicking, improving their experience. For website owners, properly rendered previews can significantly increase click-through rates and engagement with shared content, driving more traffic from the VK platform.

The data collected is used solely for generating these previews within VK's ecosystem and enhancing the social sharing experience. Website owners who optimize their metadata for social sharing will see the best results when their content is shared on VK.

How do I block vkShare?

If you wish to control vkShare's access to your site, you can use the standard robots.txt protocol, which this bot respects. To completely block vkShare from accessing your site, add the following directives to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: vkShare
Disallow: /

This configuration will instruct vkShare not to crawl any part of your website. If you only want to restrict access to certain sections, you can be more selective:

User-agent: vkShare
Disallow: /private/
Disallow: /members/
Allow: /

Keep in mind that blocking vkShare will prevent proper preview generation when your content is shared on VK. This could make your links less attractive and potentially reduce click-through rates from this platform. If your website targets Russian-speaking audiences or regions where VK is popular, blocking this bot might significantly impact your social media visibility.

For most websites, allowing vkShare access is beneficial as it enhances how your content appears when shared. If you're concerned about server load, note that vkShare typically generates far fewer requests than search engine crawlers since it only visits pages that are actively being shared.