Using Hotlink Protection and IP Deny Manager Print

Protect Your Site's Bandwidth and Access

Two handy tools in cPanel help you control who can use your files and who can visit your site: Hotlink Protection and IP Deny Manager.

What Is Hotlink Protection?

Hotlinking is when someone embeds an image, video, or other file from your site on their own website. Every time someone visits their page, it loads your file and eats up your bandwidth - without sending you a single visitor.

Hotlink Protection blocks this. It lets you whitelist your own domains and blocks everyone else from embedding your files.

How to Set Up Hotlink Protection

1. Log into your cPanel.
2. Under Security, click Hotlink Protection.
3. Click Enable.
4. Add the domains you want to allow. Your main domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) is usually added automatically. If you have subdomains or other domains under the same account, add them too.
5. If you want to allow direct links (someone typing the file URL directly into their browser), check Allow direct requests. Usually you want this ON so people can still view your images if they have the direct link.
6. Choose which file types to protect. Common ones: jpg|jpeg|png|gif|bmp|webp|svg|zip|pdf. You can add more by editing the list.
7. Click Save.

Testing Hotlink Protection

Try opening one of your image URLs from a different website (or a new incognito window with a different referrer). If you see a broken image or an error message instead, it's working.

Disabling It

If some legitimate sites can't load your images anymore, go back to Hotlink Protection, add those domains to the allowed list, or click Disable to turn it off completely.

What Is IP Deny Manager?

IP Deny Manager lets you block specific IP addresses or entire IP ranges from accessing your site. This is useful when:

• You're getting spam comments or traffic from the same IP address over and over.
• Someone is trying to brute-force your login page.
• You want to block traffic from a specific country or region (you'd block a range of IPs for that).
• A particular visitor is harassing your site.

How to Block an IP Address

1. Log into your cPanel.
2. Under Security, click IP Deny Manager.
3. Type the IP address you want to block (e.g., 192.0.2.1).
4. To block a whole range, use CIDR notation: 192.0.2.0/24 blocks everything from 192.0.2.1 to 192.0.2.255.
5. Click Add.

Viewing and Removing Blocked IPs

All blocked IPs are listed in the IP Deny Manager. Click Delete next to any entry to unblock it.

Important Notes

• Don't block your own IP - you'll lock yourself out of your site. Check your current IP by Googling "what's my IP" before adding anything.
• IP Deny Manager blocks at the server level - the visitor gets a 403 Forbidden error and can't access any page on your site.
• Hotlink Protection only blocks embedded files - it doesn't affect normal page visits. Someone can still visit your homepage and see your images normally.
• Both tools are instant. No waiting or propagation needed after you save your changes.