Hotlinking occurs when a website uses images or other media files hosted on another website without permission. This can put a strain on the resources of the website hosting the files and can also lead to copyright infringement. There are a number of ways to avoid hotlinking, including using your own images or media files, using a content delivery network (CDN), or using a hotlinking protection service.
Using your own images or media files is the most straightforward way to avoid hotlinking. However, this can be time-consuming and expensive, especially if you need to create a large number of images or media files. Using a CDN can help to reduce the load on your own server and can also improve the performance of your website. However, CDNs can be expensive, and they may not be necessary for all websites. Hotlinking protection services can help to prevent other websites from hotlinking to your images or media files. These services typically charge a monthly fee, but they can be a good option if you are concerned about hotlinking.
