Setting up hotlink protection

Hotlinking is when another website embeds your images or files directly, using your bandwidth and hosting resources to display content on their site. Hotlink protection blocks this by allowing images to load only when requested from your own domain.

To enable it in the DirhamHost panel:

1. Open Hotlink Protection.
2. Confirm the list of allowed domains includes your own site (and any subdomains or CDN you use).
3. Optionally list the file extensions to protect, such as jpg, jpeg, png, gif, webp, pdf.
4. Click Enable.

Points to remember:

• Add search engines and social networks to the allow-list if you want your images to show in Google Images or link previews.
• If your own images stop loading, your CDN or a subdomain is probably not on the allowed list - add it.
• You can specify a redirect URL to show a placeholder image to hotlinkers.

Hotlink protection is implemented via .htaccess rules, so advanced users can fine-tune it there. This is a simple, effective way to stop others profiting from your bandwidth. If legitimate images break after enabling, message us and we will adjust the rules: WhatsApp +971 58 553 6767.