Hotlink protection can accidentally block your own images, CSS, or media when the allowed referrers are incomplete or direct access patterns are not considered.
Common symptoms
- Images disappear after enabling hotlink protection
- Assets work on some pages but not others
- CDN or direct URLs fail unexpectedly
Troubleshooting steps
- Review the allowed domains and include all valid hostnames such as www and non-www versions.
- If a CDN is in use, add its delivery hostname or disable hotlink protection temporarily for testing.
- Test direct asset URLs in a private browser session and from multiple pages.
- Exclude file types that must be directly accessible if your application relies on them.
- After adjustments, clear caches and retest from fresh sessions.
Additional notes
- Some browsers and apps omit the referrer header, which can trigger false blocking.
- Hotlink protection is not a substitute for full media access control.
When to contact support
Contact support if asset blocking persists after confirming your own hostnames are allowed.