Free tool · VPN detection

VPN and proxy checker

Enter an IP address to see whether it belongs to a VPN, a proxy, a Tor exit node or a hosting provider, with a threat score and the location and network of the address. The free check uses the data of the ipbase API, which has the flags on the Small plan and above.

Why detect VPNs?

Fraud prevention, sign-up abuse, licensing and geo-restrictions, and spotting bots that run from cloud servers.

What the API checks

VPN, proxy, Tor exit node, data center, iCloud Private Relay, known attackers, abusers, spam sources and bots, plus a threat score from 0 to 100. The free check shows the same flags as the API, which has them on the Small plan and above.

Building this into an app? Use the VPN & proxy detection API and its IP info endpoint documentation.

Security data by API

On the Small plan and above, the security object of the ipbase API contains is_vpn, is_proxy, is_tor, is_datacenter, is_icloud_relay and a threat_score. Use it at sign-up, login or checkout to decide when to ask for extra verification.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell if someone is using a VPN?

Check their IP address: VPN providers use known server ranges, mostly in data centers. Detection services such as the ipbase API compare the address with lists of VPN, proxy and Tor servers and with hosting networks.

Is using a VPN detectable?

Usually yes, because commercial VPNs share a limited set of server addresses. Residential proxies and private VPN servers are harder to detect.

Should I block all VPN users?

Rarely. Many people use VPNs for privacy. A common approach is to require extra verification (email, phone, CAPTCHA) for VPN, Tor and data center traffic instead of blocking it.

IP geolocation API

Get this data in your app

ipbase returns location, ISP, ASN and time zone for any IPv4 or IPv6 address, up to 1,000 addresses per POST request. Security flags (VPN, proxy, Tor, data center) are on the Small plan and above.

Read the documentation

150 free requests every month. No credit card required.

GET https://api.ipbase.com/v2/info?ip=1.1.1.1

{
  "data": {
    "ip": "1.1.1.1",
    "type": "v4",
    "connection": {
      "asn": 13335,
      "organization": "APNIC and Cloudflare DNS Resolver project",
      "isp": "Cloudflare, Inc",
      "range": "1.1.1.0/24"
    },
    "location": {
      "country": { "alpha2": "AU", "name": "Australia" },
      "zip": "4000"
    },
    "security": { "is_vpn": null, "is_tor": null, "threat_score": null }
  }
}

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