Hello Ben !
I don't encounter this issue on my Android device when browsing my Piwigo sites with Firefox Focus. Maybe your BYB settings are too strict. Or perhaps it isn't compatible with the Cloudflare service your site uses. Because I can easily connect to your site. And I'm not logged in, of course.

Hello SchuminWeb

I can now clearly see the cause.

Your site is using Cloudflare's security check (Turnstile / bot protection) in front of BYB. This means every request is processed by Cloudflare first and only then passed to BYB.

Because of this, BYB does not always receive the original browser request. Cloudflare may modify or delay certain headers (like referrer or cookies), especially on mobile networks or in private browsing mode.

That can lead to a situation where BYB receives a request without referrer and cookies, even though it is a real user — and then blocks it.

This would also explain why I cannot reproduce the issue on my device, and why the BYB test works correctly (Cloudflare allows my requests through cleanly).

So the issue is very likely caused by the interaction between Cloudflare and BYB, not BYB alone.

To confirm this, please temporarily disable the Cloudflare security check and test again. If the issue disappears, we have a clear confirmation.

Also, please provide one exact log line from bot_log.txt at the time of the block, so I can verify what BYB actually received.

Olaf

Can you use Cloudflare with BYB or does Cloudflare interfere with BYB. Or is it just a bit of overkill. Or does every little bit help.

Maybe your BYB settings are too strict. For example, I no longer use the option "Block access without Referer and cookies" because I found myself locked out of my own site.

Not sure how much control you have over your web server, but I set up mod_remoteip in Apache so that even though traffic is coming from the Cloudflare proxy servers, the originating client (or bot) IP ends up in my logs which seems to help with BYB.

https://developers.cloudflare.com/suppo … sitor-ips/
https://devanswers.net/retrieve-real-cl … php-nginx/

Last edited by windracer (2026-05-12 14:46:08)

Jeff, the BYB coder Olaf Schneider has not been able to connect to the forum for some days. You won't receive any answer from him until the forum administrators unblock his IP. (Same inconvenience happened to me twice)

BYB | Block You Bots – Bot Protection v2.5.3 for Piwigo

Hello everyone,

BYB | Block You Bots – Bot Protection for Piwigo is now celebrating its first anniversary.

What started as a small protection idea has become a more complete bot protection system for Piwigo, helping to make unwanted access visible, easier to understand, and easier to control.

With version v2.5.3, there are several improvements for overview, usability, protection, and everyday use.

Unfortunately, I currently cannot upload the update directly here because I get the error 413 Request Entity Too Large, even though the ZIP file is only about 2.3 MB.

Anyone who would like to install the update can download it directly from my website:

BYB - Block You Bots - Free Downloads

The update has already been tested on several websites and installed without errors.

What is new in v2.5.3?

Dashboard KPIs can now be rearranged freely

The most important dashboard values can now be moved and arranged individually. This allows every administrator to organize the dashboard in the way that best fits their own gallery.

Improved status reports

Status reports now include the website name and website URL. This is especially helpful when protecting or monitoring multiple Piwigo galleries.

Better dashboard overview

Visitor and protection displays have been improved so important information can be seen more quickly.

Extended flood protection

Protection against too many requests in a short time has been improved. This helps to detect and limit suspicious access patterns more reliably.

Clearer system check

The system check has been made easier to understand, so important hints and warnings are easier to recognize.

Improved Piwigo compatibility

Compatibility with Piwigo has been further improved.

Many new language texts

Many new translations and language texts have been added.

Improvements to usability, display, and stability

Several smaller improvements make everyday use smoother and more reliable.

Short description

BYB | Block You Bots – Bot Protection is a protection plugin for Piwigo. It helps detect, log, and block unwanted bots, suspicious access, unusual visitor activity, and excessive requests.

The plugin is intended for Piwigo users who want more control over access to their gallery.

Dashboard

The dashboard provides a compact real-time overview of website traffic and the current protection status.

It shows important key figures, visitor information, bot activity, and protection status hints. The dashboard KPIs can be rearranged individually according to your own needs.

Bot list

The bot list allows unwanted user agents to be managed.

It also includes descriptions of known bots, crawlers, and suspicious access types, making it easier to understand what is happening on your gallery.

Logs & Monitoring

BYB provides several logs to make blocked or suspicious access traceable.

This includes protection logs, log analysis, frontend request logging, and robots.txt monitoring. The admin area is excluded.

Exploit attempts

BYB detects suspicious requests where bots try to access known weak points or typical attack paths.

These requests can be logged and blocked before they unnecessarily affect the gallery.

Whitelist

Trusted bots, IP addresses, and selected paths can be allowed.

For example, known search engine crawlers can be permitted, while unwanted bots can still be limited or blocked.

Blocked IPs and flood protection

BYB can block IP addresses permanently or temporarily.

Flood protection helps detect too many requests in a short time. Suspicious access can be limited automatically without affecting normal visitors.

BYB .htaccess area

The BYB .htaccess area allows protection rules to be managed.

There is a recommended section where only BYB rules are edited. Other existing .htaccess rules remain unchanged.

In addition, certain folders can be blocked only for bots. Human visitors are not affected.

Statistics

BYB provides visitor statistics and bot statistics.

This makes it visible how many visitors reach the gallery, which bots stand out, and which protection measures were triggered.

Archives

The permanent archive stores important events even if logs or statistics files are reset.

The log archive helps archive large log files automatically, keeping the data folder clean and manageable.

Settings

The settings area includes presets, status reports, initial setup, feedback and error reporting, timezone settings, the news ticker, maintenance, and diagnostics.

Presets help quickly select a suitable protection level for your own gallery.

Status reports

BYB can create automatic status reports and send them by email.

Reports can be created daily, weekly, or monthly and help keep an overview of protected galleries.

Updates

The plugin includes its own update system.

Updates can be checked and installed directly from the BYB admin area, making it easier to keep the plugin up to date.

Best regards
Olaf

Last edited by Schneider-Fotografie (2026-06-20 18:50:52)

Katryne wrote:

Many thanks Olaf.
Can I update it from within my installed plugin ? I have 2.5 installed and see in the ticker about the new 2.5.3.

Hi Katryne,

many thanks.

You already have an account on my website, so you can log in directly here:

https://blockyoubots.com/login.php

After logging in, go to:

Free Downloads / Piwigo Plugin Update

Download the ZIP file, unzip it, and upload the plugin files via FTP into your Piwigo plugins folder, overwriting the existing BYB Bot Protection files.

After that, clear the cache, and the update should be complete.

This manual step is only necessary once, because the new version now includes its own update system. Future updates can then be checked and installed directly from within the BYB plugin admin area.

Bonne soirée. ;-)
Olaf