Скопировано

EFF: How to Keep Your Website Running Amid a 'Hurricane' of Bot Traffic

10.06.2025 11:32:00
Дата публикации
Today, website owners are increasingly facing a dramatic surge in automated traffic that can jeopardize the stability of their online resources. Special AI crawlers—designed to collect data from web pages—are actively used to train artificial intelligence models. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) highlights this issue as one of the top threats to modern website performance.

Excessive bot crawling leads to server overload, higher hosting expenses, and sluggish website performance. Unauthorized data collection can even cause site malfunctions, despite proper indexing by search engines. EFF advises website owners to prioritize the proper configuration of their robots.txt file, which sets the permitted indexing zones and request rate limits.

A correctly configured User Agent string—including details on the operator, purpose, and contact information—ensures that technical issues are resolved promptly. One of the most effective protective measures is the use of modern caching systems and Content Delivery Networks (CDN) that evenly distribute the load. Converting dynamic content to a static format helps reduce resource-intensive operations, significantly boosting website performance.

Targeted throttling of request rates is another proven method to slow down aggressive crawler activity while still allowing genuine users to access your site. Additionally, integrating CAPTCHA can further reduce automated requests without compromising user experience. 

EFF emphasizes that adhering to ethical and technical standards for automated access is key to shielding your website from overloads while enhancing its stability and search engine visibility. Embrace these recommendations to ensure your site operates seamlessly and attracts the right audience.