Hotlink Protection Setup
If you are using assistive technology and are unable to read any part of the HostMonster website, or otherwise have difficulties using the HostMonster website, please call 866-573-HOST and our customer service team will assist you.
Skip to main content

HostMonster Web Hosting Help

Hotlink Protection Setup

Summary

To protect your images or other files from being hotlinked on another website, you may use Hot Link Protection. Hotlinking is the use of an image of file on another server by pulling the source image from the original server. This uses the bandwidth of your HostMonster account. It appears as though your images are on the other website even though the source is pulling from your HostMonster account. Hotlink protection stops this type of leeching or bandwidth theft.

Setting up Hot Link Protection is easy by using the Hot Link Protection tool built into the cPanel.

How to setup Hot Link Protection:

  1. Log in to your HostMonster cPanel account.
  2. Under the Security section, click the Hot Link Protection icon.
Fields

URLs to Allow Access- Enter the URLs you want to give access to the restricted files. Make sure you enter these with and without the www's if you want the images to be accessed both ways.

Block direct access for these extensions- Enter the file extensions you want to block access from sites not listed in your, URLs to Allow Access, list.

Allow direct requests- Check this if you want to allow people to be able to access restricted files by entering the path/URL into the browser.

Redirect request to this URL- If you do not have direct requests enabled, by entering a URL here this will redirect people if they enter the URL of the file directly into the browser.

Knowledgebase Article 204,517 views bookmark tags: link protection


Was this resource helpful?

Did this resolve your issue?


Please add any other comments or suggestions about this content:





Recommended Help Content

I need to protect the /images folder to not show images when people type in the correct URL like www.mydomain.com/images/ to protect from prying eyes.
Knowledgebase Article 173,169 views tags: hotlink htaccess protection

Preventing bandwidth theft using the mod rewrite engine and .htaccess
Knowledgebase Article 208,337 views tags: htaccess rewrite

Why don't my images display on my site?
Knowledgebase Article 254,821 views tags: display image images link site website

Related Help Content

I want to be able to provide an FTP link to my site that does not use Unlimited FTP or Anonymous FTP.
Knowledgebase Article 355,793 views tags: browser explorer ftp internet link network places windows

Getting Started Wizard After you have installed phpBB, please use the administrative link provided in SimpleScripts to access the login area. Enter the Admin Username you selected when installing php
Getting Started Article 289,431 views tags: button install link theme topic

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. This law was proposed by the European Union (EU), and will go into effect May 25, 2018. What is GDPR, and what do you need to know to prepare for it
Knowledgebase Article 128,500 views tags: data eu gdpr general protection regulation

Install Plugins These steps will help you install and select a WordPress plugin for your blog. Inside the WordPress Dashboard, select the Add New link from the Plugins menu. You can search for a plug
Getting Started Article 357,106 views tags: blog install link plugin wordpress

How to setup an email account in Outlook 2016 for Windows
Knowledgebase Article 379,657 views tags: client email mail outlook setup windows

How to setup an email account in Outlook 2016 for Mac
Knowledgebase Article 229,817 views tags: client email mac mail outlook setup

Install Themes These steps will help you install and select a WordPress theme for your blog. Inside the WordPress Dashboard, select the Add New Themes link in the Appearance Menu. You can search for
Getting Started Article 850,205 views tags: install link theme themes wordpress

How do I setup Dreamweaver 8 for FTP?
Knowledgebase Article 256,745 views tags: client configure dream file information party program protocol set setup steps transfer

This site utilizes JavaScript to function correctly. Looks like it's disabled on your browser. Please enable it for your best experience.

For instructions on enabling JavaScript, click here