I want a simple, inexpensive site for photos and photo essays. I know very little code, though I'm open to learning the basics, and I don't need search engine visibility. Is there a practical way to host it while keeping AI scrapers away?
Cheap hosting for a photography site, with some protection from AI scraping?
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u73!hinge_402
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You can make scraping harder, but you can't guarantee a public image won't be copied. A visitor who can view it can save it or take a screenshot, and an automated scraper can sometimes do the same.
For photos you really don't want widely collected, use a private gallery with individual logins or a password. Even then, someone with access can copy them, so only share access with people you trust. You could keep a small public selection and put the more sensitive work in the private gallery.
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For the hosting part, a static site is worth a look. Cloudflare Pages has a free tier and supports uploading site files, so you could start with a simple photo gallery and some text without running a server yourself. Check the current limits and setup options before committing.
You could also stick with a site builder if making the pages from files sounds like a chore. Either way, hosting and scraper protection are separate questions. A free host doesn't automatically make the images private.
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For a public site, layer a few deterrents. A robots.txt file can ask crawlers not to visit, and Cloudflare offers settings for blocking some AI crawlers. Neither stops a crawler that ignores the request or disguises itself.
Bot challenges such as Turnstile can add friction, though they can also inconvenience visitors and aren't foolproof. I'd use these as traffic controls, not as a promise that the photos are safe from collection.
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Think about what you actually publish too. Smaller display images and visible watermarks can make unauthorized reuse less attractive, while you keep the full-resolution files elsewhere. A watermark can also help keep your name attached, although it can be cropped or removed.
Glaze and Nightshade are tools designed to alter images in ways intended to interfere with some AI training uses. They aren't guaranteed protection, and their effectiveness can change as techniques develop. Test the visual result on copies before using them for your gallery.
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q64+staple_901:
A static site can work well for a portfolio, but check how you'd handle a shop later. You may need a separate service rather than a built-in checkout.