Data study · November 4, 2026

Bot walls from a data center and from a home connection: 1,000 popular websites compared

I loaded the homepages of the 1,000 popular websites from my phone study with the same browser and the same settings from two places on the same day: a server in a German data center, and a home DSL connection in Germany. Each site got one desktop and one phone load from each. The question is how much of the blocking that cloud browsers and AI agents run into comes from where they run, and how much from what they are.

23.5%
refused the browser in the data center (218 of 929 sites)
15.2%
refused the same browser on the home connection (141 of 929)
137 of 218
sites that refused the data center refused the home connection too

1. A home connection gets past about a third of the walls

929 sites answered both runs with a page or a wall. 218 of them refused at least one load from the data center, and 141 refused at least one from home. 81 sites that refused the data center let the home connection in, and only 4 did the opposite (en.softonic.com, itch.io, www.leparisien.fr, www.myntra.com). Moving the same browser from a server to a home line removed 37% of the walls; the other 137 stayed.

Among the 100 most popular sites in the list, 22 refused the data center and 15 the home connection.

2. Cloudflare reacts to the network, Akamai and DataDome to the browser

Sites that refused at least one load, by the vendor behind the wall. The vendor comes from the block page itself (its markup and wording) and the response headers (cf-ray, AkamaiGHost, x-datadome and the like).

Cloudflare's walls fell from 72 sites to 22, and AWS's from 18 to 8: most of them are decisions about the address the request comes from. Akamai (70 to 67) and DataDome (18 to 18) refused the home connection about as often as the data center. The browser was the same headless Chromium both times, so for these two vendors the network made little difference: what they refused was the browser. This study didn't test a person's own browser on the home line.

The 81 walls the home connection got past

3. The challenge pages go away, the block pages stay

Cloudflare's "Just a moment…" challenge was the most common wall from the data center (57 sites) and appeared on 14 from home. Akamai's "Access Denied" page (46 to 43), Akamai's reset connections (15 to 17) and DataDome's block page (16 to 16) barely moved.

4. Travel, shopping and jobs sites wall both networks, forums mostly the data center

Share of the sites in each group that refused at least one load, from each network. I sorted the sites into groups by hand from their homepages; the smallest groups have 15 to 20 sites, so read their shares as rough.

Social networks and forums refused the data center on 20.8% of sites and the home connection on 2.6%. Travel (54.5% to 45.5%) and shopping (45.1% to 37.3%) stayed high: 36 of their 53 walls from home were Akamai's or DataDome's. No search engine or portal refused either run.

5. Phone or desktop barely matters

From the data center, 200 of the 219 walled sites refused both the desktop and the phone load, 10 only the desktop and 9 only the phone. From home it was 133 of 141, with 3 and 5. The device a browser claims to be makes little difference on either network.

6. Two weeks later, the same walls

The phone study loaded the same sites from the same data center on October 20. That run kept no page text, so October's side counts what it could see: the renderer's wall verdict, a 401, 403, 405, 406, 429 or 503, or a reset connection. Of the 928 sites measured both times, 186 refused the phone in October, and 180 of them still did on November 4. 6 let the browser in this time (letterboxd.com, lovable.dev, rumble.com, shop.app, syosetu.com, www.carsensor.net) and 15 refused now but not then. A wall is a lasting setting, not a bad day.

7. What each block page means and what you can do

Each kind of block page the two runs met, what the vendor's documentation says it means, and what a blocked visitor can do. Many of them depend on the network: GameFAQs, for example, refuses every request from hosting providers, the networks cloud servers and many VPNs run on.

What is Akamai's “Access Denied” page with a reference number?

“Access Denied” with a reference number · Akamai · data center: 46 sites, home: 43 · for example www.adobe.com, www.godaddy.com, www.autodesk.com, www.mi.com

What it means. Akamai's edge servers refused the request before it reached the site. The reference number (Reference #18.…) identifies this request in Akamai's logs, and the error link on the page leads to Akamai's error page for site owners.

What you can do. Contact the site and quote the reference number; Akamai says owners can look it up with its Translate Error String tool.

Source: Akamai: errors.edgesuite.net

What is Cloudflare's “Just a moment…” page?

“Just a moment…” challenge · Cloudflare · data center: 57 sites, home: 14 · for example www.epicgames.com, medium.com, www.researchgate.net, sourceforge.net

What it means. Cloudflare's interstitial challenge page, sent with HTTP 403 and the header cf-mitigated: challenge. A rule the site owner set up (in Cloudflare's firewall, Bot Management or rate limiting) holds the request while Cloudflare checks the browser. Cloudflare says most people pass it without doing anything; some are asked to click a box.

What you can do. In a normal browser with JavaScript and cookies on, wait a few seconds or click the box. On these sites, our Chromium on a data-center connection was still on the challenge after 12 seconds. A client that only fetches HTML can't pass it at all: Cloudflare notes that it fails for requests that don't expect an HTML page.

Source: Cloudflare: Interstitial challenge pages

Why does a site end the connection without any page?

Connection reset, no page · Akamai · data center: 15 sites, home: 17 · for example www.ea.com, www.washingtonpost.com, www.fidelity.com, www.cbc.ca

What it means. No page at all: the connection ended before a response (Chrome shows ERR_HTTP2_PROTOCOL_ERROR). The sites' DNS points to Akamai. Akamai doesn't document this, so this is what I saw, not their description.

What you can do. Nothing on the page to quote. Try another network; contact the site if it persists.

What is DataDome's “Access is temporarily restricted” page?

“Access is temporarily restricted” (DataDome) · DataDome · data center: 16 sites, home: 16 · for example www.nytimes.com, www.forbes.com, www.reuters.com, www.etsy.com

What it means. DataDome serves three kinds of response page: a device check, a captcha and a block. These sites showed the block (Forbes and Etsy: “Access is temporarily restricted”; the New York Times: “You have been blocked from The New York Times because we suspect that you're a robot”). The pages list the usual reasons: very fast clicks, JavaScript turned off, developer tools, or automated traffic from your network, with your IP address.

What you can do. There is no puzzle to solve. Check that JavaScript is on, then use the page's feedback or support link and quote the ID at the bottom.

Source: DataDome: Response pages

What does Cloudflare's “Sorry, you have been blocked” mean?

“Sorry, you have been blocked” · Cloudflare · data center: 9 sites, home: 4 · for example comix.to, in.bookmyshow.com, www.1mg.com, www.cityheaven.net

What it means. Cloudflare's block page for requests stopped by the site's firewall rules (custom or managed rules).

What you can do. Contact the site with the Ray ID shown on the page; only the owner can change the rule.

Source: Cloudflare: Error 1020 (on firewall blocks), Cloudflare Ray ID

What is AWS WAF's “Let's confirm you are human” page?

AWS WAF: “Let's confirm you are human” · AWS · data center: 6 sites, home: 4 · for example www.imdb.com, chat.deepseek.com, playinboss.com, www.redfin.com

What it means. Amazon's web application firewall answers with a challenge (HTTP 202: a script checks the browser) or a CAPTCHA (HTTP 405: a puzzle) when a rule of the site's matches. AWS notes that both only work for a client that expects an HTML page.

What you can do. In a normal browser, solve the puzzle. Some of these pages add that the puzzle needs Google Translate turned off.

Source: AWS WAF: CAPTCHA and Challenge action behavior

What does CloudFront's “Request blocked” mean?

CloudFront “Request blocked” · AWS · data center: 7 sites, home: 2 · for example www.espn.com, www.deviantart.com, www.navitime.co.jp, econnect.bpcl.in

What it means. Amazon CloudFront's 403 page. AWS lists the usual causes: an AWS WAF rule blocked the request, or the site restricts which countries may visit.

What you can do. If the site blocks your country, a connection from another country works; otherwise contact the site with the Request ID at the bottom of the page.

Source: AWS: HTTP 403 from CloudFront

What is DataDome's captcha?

DataDome captcha · DataDome · data center: 2 sites, home: 2 · for example www.expedia.com, www.vrbo.com

What it means. DataDome's captcha response page: a puzzle before the site loads.

What you can do. Solve the puzzle in a normal browser.

Source: DataDome: Response pages

What is HUMAN's “Press & Hold” check?

“Press & Hold” · HUMAN (PerimeterX) · data center: 3 sites, home: 1 · for example www.zillow.com, www.wayfair.com, thehill.com

What it means. HUMAN's (formerly PerimeterX) challenge: hold a button down until it fills.

What you can do. A person passes it by holding the button with a mouse or a finger.

What is the “Client Challenge” page?

“Client Challenge” · Fastly · data center: 2 sites, home: 2 · for example www.slideshare.net, www.jstor.org

What it means. A CAPTCHA page titled “Client Challenge” (JSTOR and SlideShare, both served through Fastly): “A required part of this site couldn't load”, then a text CAPTCHA with an audio option.

What you can do. The page itself suggests checking your connection, turning off ad blockers or trying another browser, then typing the characters from the image.

What does “Request unsuccessful. Incapsula incident ID” mean?

“Request unsuccessful. Incapsula incident ID” · Imperva · data center: 1 site, home: 1 · for example www.pokemon.com

What it means. Imperva's (formerly Incapsula) block page: one line and an incident ID, nothing else.

What you can do. Contact the site and quote the incident ID.

What is Anubis's “Checking your browser” page?

Anubis: “Checking your browser” · Anubis · data center: 1 site, home: 1 · for example unsplash.com

What it means. Anubis, an open-source bot wall, makes the browser solve a proof-of-work calculation before the site loads. Unsplash set the difficulty to 16 for our browser, in both runs; at that level a browser doesn't finish.

What you can do. A normal browser with JavaScript on usually passes in a few seconds; if the page keeps calculating, reload once.

Source: Anubis documentation

What does HUMAN's “It needs a human touch” page mean?

“It needs a human touch” (HUMAN) · HUMAN (PerimeterX) · data center: 1 site, home: 1 · for example www.fiverr.com

What it means. HUMAN's challenge page with an error code that starts with PX and a trace ID (Fiverr's, sent with 403).

What you can do. The page itself lists quick fixes: turn off extensions or a VPN that change your traffic, clear the cache and cookies, keep JavaScript on and the browser up to date.

What is the “Verifying Device” page?

“Verifying Device” · AWS · data center: 2 sites, home: 0 · for example www.thesun.co.uk, www.thetimes.com

What it means. A device check that The Sun and The Times run on Amazon CloudFront. Ours ended in “Verification failed”.

What you can do. Press “Try Again” in a normal browser with JavaScript on.

What is Akamai's “Challenge Validation” page?

“Challenge Validation” (Akamai) · Akamai · data center: 1 site, home: 0 · for example www.wunderground.com

What it means. Akamai's challenge page: the browser is checked before the site loads. Ours was still on it after 12 seconds.

What you can do. Wait a few seconds with JavaScript on; reload if it doesn't move on.

Why are whole hosting networks blocked?

“Due to abuse from this hosting service, all traffic is blocked” · Cloudflare · data center: 1 site, home: 0 · for example gamefaqs.gamespot.com

What it means. GameFAQs refuses every request from hosting providers, the networks cloud servers and many VPNs run on.

What you can do. The page itself says it: if you're a person, turn off your VPN or proxy.

What does Reddit's “blocked by network security” mean?

Reddit's “blocked by network security” · Reddit · data center: 1 site, home: 0 · for example www.reddit.com

What it means. Reddit's own block page for requests from networks it doesn't trust.

What you can do. The page itself says what to do: log in to a Reddit account, or use a developer token for the API.

What about an empty or short 403 with no vendor's page?

A refusal without a vendor's page · data center: 47 sites, home: 33 · from the data center: HTTP 403: 28, a page of its own: 7, HTTP 429: 4, connection reset: 3, HTTP 401: 3, HTTP 406: 1, HTTP 503: 1 · for example www.microsoft.com, www.ebay.com, www.bol.com, www.ouest-france.fr

What it means. An error status (mostly 403) with an empty or short page, or a block page in the site's own words, often in its own language. They come through many vendors' networks or from the site itself, and most don't say why.

What you can do. Contact the site, or use its API if it has one.

What does Cloudflare error 1005 mean?

Not seen in either run.

What it means. The site owner has banned the autonomous system number (ASN) you connect from: the whole network of a hosting company, VPN provider or internet provider.

What you can do. Try from another network, for example mobile data instead of a VPN or a data-center server. Cloudflare's advice is to send the site owner a screenshot of the error, which shows its Ray ID.

Source: Cloudflare: Error 1005, Cloudflare Ray ID

What does Cloudflare error 1010 mean?

Not seen in either run.

What it means. The site owner blocks requests based on the browser's signature (Cloudflare's Browser Integrity Check).

What you can do. Cloudflare's advice: tell the site owner. On sites hosted on Cloudflare Pages and Workers, Cloudflare notes, a library's default User-Agent (Python's urllib, for example) gets this error, and a descriptive one of your own (my-app/1.0) avoids it.

Source: Cloudflare: Error 1010

What does Cloudflare error 1015 mean?

Not seen in either run.

What it means. Too many requests from your address in a short time, by a limit the site owner set.

What you can do. Wait before trying again. Cloudflare warns that retrying quickly can extend the block.

Source: Cloudflare: Error 1015

What does Cloudflare error 1020 mean?

Not seen in either run.

What it means. A security rule the site owner set up blocked the request (HTTP 403).

What you can do. Send the site owner a screenshot of the error with its Ray ID, so they can find the rule that matched.

Source: Cloudflare: Error 1020, Cloudflare Ray ID

Every site

Sorted by Tranco rank, showing the sites that refused either run; use the buttons for the rest and Previous/Next to page through them. Each cell shows the wall of the first refused load (desktop, else phone); hover a cell for all of it.

RankSiteGroupData centerHome
8www.microsoft.comTech, software and AI Akamai: short 403 pagelet in
46x.comSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: empty 403Cloudflare: empty 403
53www.pinterest.comSocial, forums and messaging not identified: empty 403let in
66www.adobe.comTech, software and AI Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
102www.epicgames.comGames Cloudflare: challengelet in
103www.reddit.comSocial, forums and messaging Reddit: blocked by network securitylet in
152www.godaddy.comTech, software and AI Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
162www.nytimes.comNews, magazines and weather DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
198medium.comSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: challengelet in
201www.ebay.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: short 403 pageAkamai: short 403 page
215www.forbes.comNews, magazines and weather DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
219www.sciencedirect.comReference, science and health Cloudflare: short 403 pageCloudflare: short 403 page
227www.researchgate.netReference, science and health Cloudflare: challengeDataDome: block page
243sourceforge.netTech, software and AI Cloudflare: challengelet in
245www.ozon.ruShopping and classifieds not identified: short 403 pagenot identified: short 403 page
262www.imdb.comReference, science and health AWS: AWS WAF challengeAWS: AWS WAF challenge
283www.reuters.comNews, magazines and weather DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
300www.autodesk.comTech, software and AI Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
324www.mi.comTech, software and AI Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
325onlinelibrary.wiley.comReference, science and health Cloudflare: challengelet in
326www.etsy.comShopping and classifieds DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
351www.ea.comGames Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
376www.washingtonpost.comNews, magazines and weather Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
386www.espn.comSports and betting AWS: CloudFront: Request blockedlet in
390www.wsj.comNews, magazines and weather DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
411www.mobile.deShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
414unsplash.comReference, science and health Anubis: proof-of-work challengeAnubis: proof-of-work challenge
417claude.aiTech, software and AI Cloudflare: challengelet in
420disneyworld.disney.go.comTravel and transport not identified: connection resetnot identified: connection reset
427www.indeed.comJobs, homes and local services Cloudflare: challengelet in
455marvel.fandom.comReference, science and health Cloudflare: challengelet in
478www.cnbc.comNews, magazines and weather Akamai: Access Denied with a referencelet in
549www.slideshare.netReference, science and health Fastly: Client Challenge CAPTCHAFastly: Client Challenge CAPTCHA
563www.wildberries.ruShopping and classifieds not identified: empty 403not identified: “Проверяем браузер” (checking the browser, 498)
572www.tandfonline.comReference, science and health Cloudflare: challengelet in
577www.tripadvisor.comTravel and transport DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
583www.deviantart.comSocial, forums and messaging AWS: CloudFront: Request blockedlet in
616www.avito.ruShopping and classifieds Qrator: short 429 pageQrator: short 429 page
620www.mdpi.comReference, science and health Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
629www.telegraph.co.ukNews, magazines and weather Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
638www.accuweather.comNews, magazines and weather Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
644www.dailymail.comNews, magazines and weather Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
649www.jotform.comTech, software and AI not identified: short 429 pagelet in
680elpais.comNews, magazines and weather DataDome: block pagelet in
685www.perplexity.aiTech, software and AI Cloudflare: challengelet in
715www.yelp.comJobs, homes and local services Fastly: empty 403DataDome: block page
722www.marriott.comTravel and transport Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
734itch.ioGames let inCloudflare: challenge
764allegro.plShopping and classifieds DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
771www.homedepot.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
773imgur.comSocial, forums and messaging Fastly: short 429 pagelet in
776www.mlb.comSports and betting Fastly: Error 54113let in
801www.zillow.comJobs, homes and local services HUMAN (PerimeterX): press and holdlet in
813www.fiverr.comJobs, homes and local services HUMAN (PerimeterX): challenge pageHUMAN (PerimeterX): challenge page
827people.comNews, magazines and weather Cloudflare: challengelet in
835www.att.comTech, software and AI Akamai: Access Denied with a referencelet in
915www.lg.comTech, software and AI Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
916www.coupang.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
919www.mayoclinic.orgReference, science and health Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
938genius.comVideo, TV and music Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
940www.mercadolibre.com.arShopping and classifieds not identified: redirect to account verificationnot identified: redirect to account verification
942ceac.state.govGovernment and public services Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
944www.patreon.comSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: challengelet in
978www2.hm.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
983www.lowes.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
991www.ancestry.comReference, science and health Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
1006www.sofascore.comSports and betting Cloudflare: challengelet in
1026my.konami.netGames not identified: short 403 pageAkamai: connection reset
1033www.bol.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: short 403 pageAkamai: short 403 page
1039www.hilton.comTravel and transport not identified: short 403 pagedid not load
1057www.theatlantic.comNews, magazines and weather Cloudflare: short 403 pagelet in
1063www.garmin.comShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: challengelet in
1072www.kohls.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1073www.moneycontrol.comNews, magazines and weather Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1076www.ouest-france.frNews, magazines and weather Akamai: short 403 pageAkamai: short 403 page
1078www.magnific.comTech, software and AI not identified: short 403 pagenot identified: short 403 page
1099www.redfin.comJobs, homes and local services AWS: AWS WAF CAPTCHAAWS: AWS WAF CAPTCHA
1102as.comSports and betting DataDome: block pagelet in
1117tabelog.comReference, science and health Cloudflare: challengelet in
1125www.skroutz.grShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: challengelet in
1129www.fidelity.comBanking, payments and investing Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
1152www.kickstarter.comSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: challengelet in
1168www.cbc.caNews, magazines and weather Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
1170namu.wikiSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: challengelet in
1184www.leboncoin.frShopping and classifieds DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
1185www.cricinfo.comSports and betting Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1197m.indiamart.comShopping and classifieds not identified: empty 403let in
1208www.fmkorea.comSocial, forums and messaging not identified: its own human check (430)let in
1212www.myntra.comShopping and classifieds let inAkamai: connection reset
1216janitorai.comTech, software and AI Cloudflare: challengelet in
1217www.lequipe.frSports and betting Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1228www.sahibinden.comShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: challengelet in
1233www.meesho.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1234chat.deepseek.comTech, software and AI AWS: AWS WAF challengeAWS: AWS WAF challenge
1240www.furaffinity.netSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: challengelet in
1252www.tesla.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1254www.idealista.comJobs, homes and local services DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
1258www.fanfiction.netSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: challengelet in
1273www.jusbrasil.com.brGovernment and public services Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
1288www.argos.co.ukShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1291www.cricbuzz.comSports and betting Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1292www.makemytrip.comTravel and transport Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
1295www.naukri.comEducation Akamai: connection resetAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1307www.jstor.orgReference, science and health Fastly: Client Challenge CAPTCHAFastly: Client Challenge CAPTCHA
1321arca.liveSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: challengelet in
1326www.justdial.comReference, science and health Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: connection reset
1337epds.bihar.gov.inGovernment and public services not identified: connection resetnot identified: connection reset
1339www.subito.itShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referencelet in
1342api.id.meTech, software and AI Cloudflare: challengelet in
1347www.mediaexpert.plShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
1362www.leroymerlin.frShopping and classifieds DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
1363www.navitime.co.jpTravel and transport AWS: CloudFront: Request blockedAWS: CloudFront: Request blocked
1370comix.toManga and web fiction Cloudflare: WAF blocklet in
1373www.hollywoodbets.netSports and betting Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
1383www.property24.comJobs, homes and local services not identified: short 503 pagelet in
1387in.bookmyshow.comTravel and transport Cloudflare: WAF blocklet in
1405mangabuff.ruManga and web fiction DDoS-Guard: short 403 pageDDoS-Guard: short 403 page
1425www.expedia.comTravel and transport DataDome: captchaDataDome: captcha
1436toyhou.seSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: challengelet in
1449www.cardmarket.comShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
1463www.forebet.comSports and betting Cloudflare: challengelet in
1474www.suruga-ya.jpShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
1495www.1mg.comShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: WAF blockCloudflare: WAF block
1505www.immobiliare.itJobs, homes and local services DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
1508www.cityheaven.netJobs, homes and local services Cloudflare: WAF blockCloudflare: WAF block
1510www.rbc.ruNews, magazines and weather Qrator: empty 401let in
1542yolo.com.listcrawler.euSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: challengelet in
1564theqoo.netSocial, forums and messaging Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
1567www.redbus.inTravel and transport Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
1613sp.oddspark.comSports and betting Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1620bingoplus.comGames Cloudflare: empty 403Cloudflare: empty 403
1636twkan.comManga and web fiction Cloudflare: challengelet in
1647www.ptgaming.phGames Cloudflare: WAF blockCloudflare: WAF block
1653www.publi24.roShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: WAF blocklet in
1665www.letras.mus.brVideo, TV and music Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1688turbo.azShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
1696form.kemkes.go.idGovernment and public services not identified: empty 403not identified: empty 403
1719www.shutterstock.comTech, software and AI DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
1720m.site777.jpGames AWS: empty 403AWS: empty 403
1721dash.packzy.comTech, software and AI AWS: empty 403AWS: empty 403
1735econnect.bpcl.inBanking, payments and investing AWS: CloudFront: Request blockedAWS: CloudFront: Request blocked
1738egramswaraj.gov.inGovernment and public services not identified: connection resetnot identified: connection reset
1755bpexch.liveSports and betting Cloudflare: challengelet in
1771rsch.jpTech, software and AI not identified: short 403 pagenot identified: short 403 page
1780playinboss.comLottery and gambling AWS: AWS WAF challengeAWS: AWS WAF challenge
1783www.dns-shop.ruShopping and classifieds Qrator: empty 401Qrator: empty 401
1835www.xfinity.comTech, software and AI Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
1885www.marketwatch.comNews, magazines and weather DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
1896www.emag.roShopping and classifieds AWS: AWS WAF pagelet in
1907mydramalist.comVideo, TV and music Cloudflare: challengelet in
1925www.autotrader.co.ukShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: challengelet in
1938www.dhl.comGovernment and public services Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
1942liquipedia.netSports and betting Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
1987www.eci.gov.inGovernment and public services not identified: short 406 pagenot identified: short 406 page
2007stdn.iau.irEducation not identified: short 403 pagenot identified: short 403 page
2035www.trip.comTravel and transport not identified: its own puzzle captchanot identified: its own puzzle captcha
2040www.lecturas.comNews, magazines and weather Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
2047googll.storeTech, software and AI Cloudflare: empty 403Cloudflare: empty 403
2051www.ticketmaster.comTravel and transport not identified: “Your Browsing Activity Has Been Paused”let in
2053www.wunderground.comNews, magazines and weather Akamai: challengelet in
2109www.timeanddate.comNews, magazines and weather Cloudflare: challengelet in
2125www.hotels.comTravel and transport Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
2160www.thesun.co.ukNews, magazines and weather AWS: Verifying Devicelet in
2240www.ihg.comTravel and transport Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
2281online.fliphtml5.comTech, software and AI Cloudflare: challengelet in
2372www.doordash.comJobs, homes and local services Cloudflare: challengelet in
2384www.politico.comNews, magazines and weather Cloudflare: challengelet in
2437www.instacart.comJobs, homes and local services AWS: CloudFront: Request blockedlet in
2467www.hyatt.comTravel and transport not identified: short 403 pagenot identified: short 403 page
2480www.upwork.comJobs, homes and local services Cloudflare: WAF blocklet in
2493quizlet.comEducation Cloudflare: challengelet in
2554www.zeit.deNews, magazines and weather not identified: “Ihre Anfrage wurde blockiert” (your request was blocked)not identified: “Ihre Anfrage wurde blockiert” (your request was blocked)
2559www.news.com.auNews, magazines and weather Akamai: short 403 pageAkamai: short 403 page
2570www.wayfair.comShopping and classifieds HUMAN (PerimeterX): press and holdHUMAN (PerimeterX): press and hold
2641www.itv.comVideo, TV and music Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
2644www.ford.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
2669rumble.comVideo, TV and music Cloudflare: challengelet in
2675www.ndtv.comNews, magazines and weather Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
2697thehill.comNews, magazines and weather HUMAN (PerimeterX): press and holdlet in
2702apkpure.comTech, software and AI Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
2711www.flaticon.comTech, software and AI Akamai: short 403 pageAkamai: short 403 page
2722www.olympics.comSports and betting Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
2727statshub.sportradar.comSports and betting Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
2738www.hbomax.comVideo, TV and music Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
2748gamefaqs.gamespot.comGames Cloudflare: hosting networks blockedlet in
2750www.nhk.or.jpNews, magazines and weather Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
2834indianexpress.comNews, magazines and weather AWS: CloudFront: Request blockedlet in
2848www.glassdoor.comJobs, homes and local services Cloudflare: challengelet in
2860www.kicker.deSports and betting DataDome: block pageDataDome: block page
2862www.minecraft.netGames Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
2959www.redbubble.comShopping and classifieds Cloudflare: challengelet in
2982www.bet365.comSports and betting Cloudflare: WAF blocklet in
2985www.thehindu.comNews, magazines and weather Cloudflare: challengelet in
3035en.softonic.comTech, software and AI let innot identified: empty 406
3065www.vrbo.comTravel and transport DataDome: captchaDataDome: captcha
3103www.idealo.deShopping and classifieds Akamai: short 403 pageAkamai: short 403 page
3123confirmacao-entrega-propria.ifood.com.brJobs, homes and local services Akamai: Access Denied with a referencelet in
3131www.traveloka.comTravel and transport AWS: AWS WAF CAPTCHAlet in
3142www.cbssports.comSports and betting not identified: empty 429let in
3150www.infojobs.netJobs, homes and local services not identified: “we can't identify your browser”not identified: “¿Eres humano o un robot?”
3159www.tmz.comNews, magazines and weather AWS: CloudFront: Request blockedlet in
3163www.adidas.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: short 403 pageAkamai: short 403 page
3202www.futbin.comSports and betting Cloudflare: challengelet in
3234au.seek.comJobs, homes and local services Cloudflare: challengeCloudflare: challenge
3243www.united.comTravel and transport Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
3271www.coingecko.comBanking, payments and investing Cloudflare: challengelet in
3281www.zara.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
3301www.magazineluiza.com.brShopping and classifieds not identified: short 403 pagenot identified: short 403 page
3306www.delta.comTravel and transport Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
3351www.mcdonalds.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
3354www.leparisien.frNews, magazines and weather let inAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
3364www.santander.com.brBanking, payments and investing Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
3386www.aa.comTravel and transport Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
3388www.allrecipes.comReference, science and health Cloudflare: challengelet in
3392www.thetimes.comNews, magazines and weather AWS: Verifying Devicelet in
3399www.asos.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
3414www.tesco.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
3431www.tokopedia.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: connection resetAkamai: connection reset
3444www.macys.comShopping and classifieds Akamai: Access Denied with a referenceAkamai: Access Denied with a reference
3453www.pokemon.comShopping and classifieds Imperva: incident IDImperva: incident ID
3462www.faceit.comGames Cloudflare: challengelet in
3464www.scopus.comReference, science and health Cloudflare: WAF blockCloudflare: WAF block
3522www.immobilienscout24.deJobs, homes and local services AWS: short 401 pagelet in

Method and limits

  • Sites. The 1,000 homepages of the phone study: domains from the Tranco top list that also have an origin in the Chrome UX Report's top 10,000, one per brand, adult and malware domains removed.
  • Two networks. The data center: a Hetzner server in Falkenstein, Germany (one IPv4 and one IPv6 address), 00:39 to 03:05 UTC on November 4, 2026. Home: a consumer DSL line in Germany (IPv4 and IPv6), 09:31 to 10:31 UTC the same day.
  • One browser. Headless Chromium 156 from Playwright 1.64 in both places, as Shotlane runs it: desktop 1280×800 with a Windows Chrome user agent, phone 393×852 in mobile mode with an Android Chrome user agent, English locale, no cookies from earlier visits, no proxy, up to 12 seconds to pass a challenge that solves itself. The data-center run used Shotlane's renderer, the home run a standalone script with the same settings; both runs were judged by the same rules.
  • One load per site, device and network. Desktop first, the phone right after, nothing retried: reloading a wall again and again gets an address throttled. A wall on one load can still be a wall that a second load would pass, and the reverse.
  • What counts as a wall. The renderer's wall detector (the one that decides when Shotlane doesn't charge for a render), plus any 401, 403, 405, 406, 429 or 503 answer with a short page, plus a connection reset before any response. Then I read the title and text of every refused, short or untitled load in both runs and looked at the screenshots of the doubtful ones. That added walls served with a normal status (AWS WAF's 202, own pages in other languages) and took out region blocks (12 sites from the data center, 13 from home), parked domains and addresses with no public page. A 403 that still delivered the full homepage (Behance) counts as let in. Shotlane's detector now catches most of the kinds it missed here; a few sites' own pages in other languages it still misses.
  • Compared sites. The comparison counts the 929 sites that answered both runs. 26 sites didn't load from the data center and 28 from home (timeouts, DNS, or no connection at all, as with several Indian government portals); they aren't counted.
  • Vendors. A page that names its vendor (Cloudflare's challenge, Akamai's reference numbers, DataDome's captcha, AWS WAF's script) counts for that vendor. A page that names none counts for the CDN its headers name, which may be running a rule of the site's own.
  • Groups are my own reading of each homepage, one group per site. They're in the raw data, so you can regroup them.
  • Limits. One data center, one home line, one country, one day, homepages only. Both runs used a headless browser; a person's own Chrome on the same home line is a different test, and this study says nothing about it.

Raw data, both runs per site: bot-walls-2026-11.json (CC BY 4.0: reuse it with a link back).

Choosing a screenshot API? See Screenshot APIs compared: ScreenshotOne, Urlbox, ApiFlash.

When a site walls the data center, try a residential IP

Shotlane's proxy=auto loads a page directly for 1 credit and, only when the answer is a bot wall, once more through a residential IP for 10 paid credits; proxy_country picks the exit's country. On this study's home line, most Cloudflare and AWS walls let the browser in and Akamai's and DataDome's mostly didn't; the docs show how the residential IP did on sites that block our server. A wall that stays a wall isn't charged, within the usual daily allowance.

See proxy in the docs