I am building one of my first sites and I was wondering if it was possible to avoid people using programs like HTTrack to download my website. If there are any other (fairly simple) ways I could protect my website I'd really appreciate the help.
Thanks.
When you consider people downloading my website, they only receives the HTML/CSS/javascript/images of your website! If you have any server side code (eg: PHP), they won't get it! Because what the client gets is the output after running the server side code!
There's no 100% mechanism to lock your website's content. You can protect your javascript codes to a certain extend by minifying and obfuscating. But there are tools that will allow people to beautify it and make it readable!
Some people used to go legal when they find that others are copying their design etc. But most of the businesses are not much worried about it, I think. Instead of worrying about those guys copied my design!, they focus on improving their site and makes their services far more better. So that their potential customers stays in their website rather than going to the copy-cat site!
So my opinion is, you should stop worrying about it. Instead, focus more on creating your website and making it awesome! If your website is for a product or service, try providing great customer support to your customers. So that they will always stay as your customers!
Best wishes.
Best to prevent httrack more then the software and application can copy your websites design use this code on .htaccess
Options All -Indexes
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} ADSARobot|ah-ha|almaden|aktuelles|Anarchie|amzn_assoc|ASPSeek|ASSORT|ATHENS|Atomz|attach|attache|autoemailspider|BackWeb|Bandit|BatchFTP|bdfetch|big.brother|BlackWidow|bmclient|Boston\ Project|BravoBrian\ SpiderEngine\ MarcoPolo|Bot\ mailto:craftbot@yahoo.com|Buddy|Bullseye|bumblebee|capture|CherryPicker|ChinaClaw|CICC|clipping|Collector|Copier|Crescent|Crescent\ Internet\ ToolPak|Custo|cyberalert|DA$|Deweb|diagem|Digger|Digimarc|DIIbot|DISCo|DISCo\ Pump|DISCoFinder|Download\ Demon|Download\ Wonder|Downloader|Drip|DSurf15a|DTS.Agent|EasyDL|eCatch|ecollector|efp@gmx\.net|Email\ Extractor|EirGrabber|email|EmailCollector|EmailSiphon|EmailWolf|Express\ WebPictures|ExtractorPro|EyeNetIE|FavOrg|fastlwspider|Favorites\ Sweeper|Fetch|FEZhead|FileHound|FlashGet\ WebWasher|FlickBot|fluffy|FrontPage|GalaxyBot|Generic|Getleft|GetRight|GetSmart|GetWeb!|GetWebPage|gigabaz|Girafabot|Go\!Zilla|Go!Zilla|Go-Ahead-Got-It|GornKer|gotit|Grabber|GrabNet|Grafula|Green\ Research|grub-client|Harvest|hhjhj@yahoo|hloader|HMView|HomePageSearch|http\ generic|HTTrack|httpdown|httrack|ia_archiver|IBM_Planetwide|Image\ Stripper|Image\ Sucker|imagefetch|IncyWincy|Indy*Library|Indy\ Library|informant|Ingelin|InterGET|Internet\ Ninja|InternetLinkagent|Internet\ Ninja|InternetSeer\.com|Iria|Irvine|JBH*agent|JetCar|JOC|JOC\ Web\ Spider|JustView|KWebGet|Lachesis|larbin|LeechFTP|LexiBot|lftp|libwww|likse|Link|Link*Sleuth|LINKS\ ARoMATIZED|LinkWalker|LWP|lwp-trivial|Mag-Net|Magnet|Mac\ Finder|Mag-Net|Mass\ Downloader|MCspider|Memo|Microsoft.URL|MIDown\ tool|Mirror|Missigua\ Locator|Mister\ PiX|MMMtoCrawl\/UrlDispatcherLLL|^Mozilla$|Mozilla.*Indy|Mozilla.*NEWT|Mozilla*MSIECrawler|MS\ FrontPage*|MSFrontPage|MSIECrawler|MSProxy|multithreaddb|nationaldirectory|Navroad|NearSite|NetAnts|NetCarta|NetMechanic|netprospector|NetResearchServer|NetSpider|Net\ Vampire|NetZIP|NetZip\ Downloader|NetZippy|NEWT|NICErsPRO|Ninja|NPBot|Octopus|Offline\ Explorer|Offline\ Navigator|OpaL|Openfind|OpenTextSiteCrawler|OrangeBot|PageGrabber|Papa\ Foto|PackRat|pavuk|pcBrowser|PersonaPilot|Ping|PingALink|Pockey|Proxy|psbot|PSurf|puf|Pump|PushSite|QRVA|RealDownload|Reaper|Recorder|ReGet|replacer|RepoMonkey|Robozilla|Rover|RPT-HTTPClient|Rsync|Scooter|SearchExpress|searchhippo|searchterms\.it|Second\ Street\ Research|Seeker|Shai|Siphon|sitecheck|sitecheck.internetseer.com|SiteSnagger|SlySearch|SmartDownload|snagger|Snake|SpaceBison|Spegla|SpiderBot|sproose|SqWorm|Stripper|Sucker|SuperBot|SuperHTTP|Surfbot|SurfWalker|Szukacz|tAkeOut|tarspider|Teleport\ Pro|Templeton|TrueRobot|TV33_Mercator|UIowaCrawler|UtilMind|URLSpiderPro|URL_Spider_Pro|Vacuum|vagabondo|vayala|visibilitygap|VoidEYE|vspider|Web\ Downloader|w3mir|Web\ Data\ Extractor|Web\ Image\ Collector|Web\ Sucker|Wweb|WebAuto|WebBandit|web\.by\.mail|Webclipping|webcollage|webcollector|WebCopier|webcraft@bea|webdevil|webdownloader|Webdup|WebEMailExtrac|WebFetch|WebGo\ IS|WebHook|Webinator|WebLeacher|WEBMASTERS|WebMiner|WebMirror|webmole|WebReaper|WebSauger|Website|Website\ eXtractor|Website\ Quester|WebSnake|Webster|WebStripper|websucker|webvac|webwalk|webweasel|WebWhacker|WebZIP|Wget|Whacker|whizbang|WhosTalking|Widow|WISEbot|WWWOFFLE|x-Tractor|^Xaldon\ WebSpider|WUMPUS|Xenu|XGET|Zeus.*Webster|Zeus [NC]
RewriteRule ^.* - [F,L]
You can tell webcrawler which visiting your website, you like or don't like crawling, by:
robots.txt
If you don't already have a robots.txt:
create a robots.txt and save this file on your webroot.
You can add p.e. the follow lines to your robots.txt
# Sample for you tell dont crawl anything from my website:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /
You can configure the robots.txt, p.e. for different User-agent (crawler), folder, file types and some other. Please check for this a robots.txt guide by your search engine of your choice. Or check the follow one:
https://audisto.com/guides/robots.txt/
Remark:
You can p.e disallow all User-agents and allow every well known Browser and search engines. Or dont disallow all, disallow only User-agent which are known by you which doing with your website what you dont like.
