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Web Dev + WordPress + Security

Stupid htaccess Trick: Enable File or Directory Access to Your Password-Protected Site

In this brief tutorial, we are going to enable users to access any file or directory of a site that is password-protected via htaccess. There are many reasons for wanting to employ this technique, including: Share public resources from an otherwise private site Enable visitors to access content during site maintenance Testing and formatting of layout and design during development As a webmaster, I have used this technique on several occasions. This trick works great for allowing access to any […] Continue reading »

Ultimate .htaccess Blacklist 2: Compressed Version

[ Image: Lunar Eclipse ]

In our original htaccess blacklist article, we provide an extensive list of bad user agents. This so-called “Ultimate htaccess Blacklist” works great at blocking many different online villains: spammers, scammers, scrapers, scrappers, rippers, leechers — you name it. Yet, despite its usefulness, there is always room for improvement. Continue reading »

How to Verify the Four Major Search Engines

Keeping track of your access and error logs is a critical component of any serious security strategy. Many times, you will see a recorded entry that looks legitimate, such that it may easily be dismissed as genuine Google fare, only to discover upon closer investigation a fraudulent agent. There are many such cloaked or disguised agents crawling around these days, mimicking various search engines to hide beneath the radar. So it’s always a good idea to implement a procedure for […] Continue reading »

WordPress Spam Battle: 3 Seconds that will Save You Hours of Time

In the hellish battle against spam, many WordPress users have adopted a highly effective trinity of anti-spam plugins: Akismet Bad Behavior Spam Karma This effective triage of free WordPress plugins has served many a WP-blogger well, eliminating virtually 99% of all automated comment-related spam. When spam first became a problem for me, I installed this triple-threat arsenal of anti-spam plugins and immediately enjoyed the results. Although Spam Karma seemed a little invasive and resource-intensive, too much protection seemed far better […] Continue reading »

Industrial-Strength Spamless Email Links

In our previous article on creating spamless email links via JavaScript, the presented method, although relatively simple to implement, is not the most effective solution available. Spambots, email harvesters, and other online scumbags relentlessly advance their scanning technology, perpetually rendering obsolete yesterday’s methods. Continue reading »

HTTP Error Codes

A list of HTTP Error codes and corresponding definitions: Informational Codes 100 — Continue 101 — Switching Protocols Successful Client Requests 200 — OK 201 — Created 202 — Accepted 203 — Non-Authoritative Information 204 — No Content 205 — Reset Content 206 — Partial Content Client Request Redirected 300 — Multiple Choices 301 — Moved Permanently 302 — Moved Temporarily 303 — See Other 304 — Not Modified 305 — Use Proxy 307 — Temporary Redirect Client Request Errors […] Continue reading »

Welcome
Perishable Press is operated by Jeff Starr, a professional web developer and book author with two decades of experience. Here you will find posts about web development, WordPress, security, and more »
WP Themes In Depth: Build and sell awesome WordPress themes.
Thoughts
Replacing my elaborate 27in iMac desk setup with a 15in Macbook Air.
Launching my new plugin, Head Meta Pro 🚀 Complete meta tags for WordPress.
Migrating sites to a new server, so far so good. Please report any bugs, thank you.
Arc browser looked good but lost me at “account required”. No browsers do that.
Finishing up the pro version of Head Meta Data plugin, launch planned this month.
Finally finished my ultimate block list to stop AI bots :) Blocks over 400+ AI bots!
After 10 years working late at night, my schedule has changed. I am now a “morning person”, starting my day at 6am or earlier.
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