Epiphany / GNOME Web user agent
GNOME Web, also known as Epiphany, is the default browser of the GNOME desktop, built on WebKitGTK. Its user-agent string carries WebKit tokens together with an Epiphany product token. Because it shares the WebKit engine with Safari, naive detection can confuse the two; the Epiphany token disambiguates genuine GNOME Web traffic.
What this means
GNOME Web (Epiphany) is the GNOME desktop's browser, built on WebKitGTK — the GTK port of the WebKit engine. It shares much of Safari's rendering behaviour because both are WebKit-based, but it runs on Linux and is a separate product.
The Epiphany product token is what tells genuine GNOME Web apart from Safari and other WebKit clients.
How it appears
Expect a Mozilla/5.0 prefix, a Linux platform block, AppleWebKit and Safari compatibility tokens, and an Epiphany product token. The Safari token is inherited WebKit compatibility, not a claim of being Safari; the Epiphany token is the distinguishing detail.
Match on the Epiphany token, treat the Safari token as engine compatibility, and remember the string is a claim that can be copied.
- Product token: Epiphany (GNOME Web)
- WebKitGTK engine — shares behaviour with Safari
- Carries an inherited Safari compatibility token on Linux
How it appears in analytics and logs
A WebKit user agent carrying an Epiphany product token indicates GNOME Web on Linux. It is a real human browser, niche but genuine, and should not be merged into Safari.
Diagnostic use case
Attribute Linux desktop traffic to GNOME Web (Epiphany) rather than Safari, despite the shared WebKit engine, and keep browser-mix accurate.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID can keep GNOME Web distinct from Safari in browser-family reporting, so WebKitGTK traffic on Linux is not silently merged into Apple's browser.
Common mistakes
- Labelling GNOME Web as Safari because both use WebKit.
- Merging Epiphany into a generic WebKit or macOS bucket on Linux traffic.
- Matching the Safari token instead of the Epiphany product token.
Privacy and accuracy notes
The Epiphany token reveals only the browser family. It carries no visitor identity. WebmasterID reads it as coarse browser context.
Related pages
- Linux user agent tokens
Desktop browsers on Linux include an X11; Linux platform token, usually with an architecture marker such as x86_64. The token confirms a Linux desktop browser but rarely identifies the distribution, and Linux strings are also common among servers, headless tools, and bots, so context matters.
- Safari user agent on iOS and macOS
Safari's user agent is built around WebKit and a Version token, and differs between macOS and iOS. A notable quirk is that iPadOS can present a desktop-class Safari user agent, which can make an iPad look like a Mac in logs. This page covers the pattern and the platform-specific behaviour.
- Konqueror and KHTML user agent
Konqueror is the KDE desktop's web browser, historically powered by the KHTML engine — the codebase Apple forked to create WebKit. Its user-agent string carries Konqueror and KHTML tokens. Understanding it explains why so many modern user agents still include a KHTML-derived token, and identifies genuine Konqueror traffic.
- Privacy-first analytics
Keep niche Linux browsers visible as coarse context.
Sources and verification notes
- GNOME — Web (Epiphany)GNOME Web is built on WebKitGTK; Epiphany product token described generally, version not pinned.
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.