How To Enable Hotlink Protection
Link: https://support.brilliantdirectories.com/support/solutions/articles/12000013802
Understanding Hotlink Protection
Hotlinking occurs when another website displays files that are hosted on your website, such as images, by directly linking to their source URL. While the content appears on the third-party website, the files are still being served from your website, which means your website's bandwidth and server resources are being used to deliver that content.
How Hotlink Protection Works
Hotlink protection prevents other websites from directly embedding and displaying files hosted on your website. When enabled, requests originating from unauthorized domains will be blocked from accessing protected content.
This can help reduce unnecessary bandwidth usage and prevent third-party websites from using your hosted images and files without permission.
Important Considerations
Before enabling hotlink protection, keep in mind that some websites and services may no longer be able to display your images if they rely on direct file access.
Many major platforms, including social media networks, use their own methods to preview and cache content, so they are generally not affected. However, smaller websites and applications that directly reference your image URLs may be unable to display those files once hotlink protection is enabled.
Option 1: Enable Hotlink Protection with Cloudflare
If your website is connected to Cloudflare, you can enable Cloudflare's built-in Hotlink Protection feature.
Cloudflare Documentation:
https://support.cloudflare.com/hc/en-us/articles/200170026-Understanding-Cloudflare-Hotlink-Protection
Option 2: Configure Hotlink Protection with an .htaccess File
For websites hosted on servers that support Apache configuration files, hotlink protection can also be implemented using rules added to the website's .htaccess file.
Reference Guide:
https://mediatemple.net/community/products/dv/204644230/prevent-hotlinking-with-a-.htaccess-file
Additional Notes
Brilliant Directories does not currently include a built-in hotlink protection setting. If hotlink protection is required, it will need to be configured through a service such as Cloudflare or by implementing server-level rules where supported.
