What is OpenRSS?
Direct Answer: OpenRSS is an RSS feed provider and fetcher operated by OpenRSS, offering a healthier alternative to algorithmic feeds.
OpenRSS provides RSS feeds as a service, allowing users to follow web content on their terms. The feeds are generated without algorithms, moderation, or invasive content, and are actively monitored for issues. OpenRSS aims to offer a fast and private way to read web content through RSS feeds.
User-Agent Identification
The following user-agent strings identify OpenRSS in your live traffic data:
OpenRSS
robots.txt Rules for OpenRSS
Respects robots.txt: No
Use the following robots.txt rules to control OpenRSS access:
# Block OpenRSS
User-agent: OpenRSS
Disallow: /
# Allow OpenRSS
User-agent: OpenRSS
Allow: /Robots.txt has limited effect on user-initiated bots
OpenRSS is triggered by user actions within OpenRSS's products. While OpenRSS states it respects robots.txt, the bot operates differently from autonomous crawlers — it fetches specific URLs on demand rather than systematically spidering your site. Server-log monitoring is the only reliable way to verify what actually happens.
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Crawl Behavior
Frequency:Continuous
Request Pattern:Fetches RSS Feeds For User-Submitted Websites
Official Documentation Quotes
"Open RSS offers feeds that are a much healthier alternative to the intrusive, algorithmic feeds on websites that harm and manipulate us."
Crawl Activity Index
Relative crawl activity for OpenRSS over the past 28 days. Higher values indicate increased crawling intensity compared to the period baseline.
View recent activity data (last 7 days)
| Date | Activity Index |
|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2026 | 0.0 |
| Mar 29, 2026 | 0.0 |
| Mar 30, 2026 | 0.0 |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 0.0 |
| Apr 1, 2026 | 4.2 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 0.0 |
| Apr 3, 2026 | 0.0 |
Source: Cloudflare Radar
Why track OpenRSS traffic?
Identify and classify unknown crawler activity. OpenRSS may appear in your live traffic data with varying frequency. Tracking its behavior helps you decide whether to allow, throttle, or block it based on actual data.
Protect your crawl budget. Every bot request consumes server resources. Understanding what OpenRSS crawls helps you prioritize the crawlers that matter.
Log Verification
To verify OpenRSS traffic in your live traffic data:
- Search access logs for the user-agent strings listed above
- Check if the IP addresses match documented ranges (if provided by OpenRSS)
- Verify the crawl pattern matches documented behavior
- Use reverse DNS lookup for additional verification if available
Note: Observed behavior in production environments may differ from official documentation. Live traffic monitoring provides the only reliable verification of actual bot behavior.
Undocumented Information
The following information is not officially documented for OpenRSS:
- ip verification method
- JavaScript rendering details
Official Documentation
View Official OpenRSS Documentation →
Information sourced from official documentation. Content generated with AI assistance.