13ft – A site similar to 12ft.io but self-hosted (github.com)

Article summary

The article introduces 13ft, a self-hosted server that allows users to bypass paywalls and ads on certain websites by pretending to be Google's web crawler. It provides a simple interface to input a URL and view the content without restrictions. The server can be run using Docker or a standard Python script, and it also offers customization options for localization and reverse proxy. The project is presented as an alternative to 12ft.io, which has been reported to be unreliable.

Main themes

• Paywall bypassing
• Self-hosted servers
• Ad blocking
• Web crawling
• Googlebot emulation
• Anti-competitive practices

What commenters say

• Some users have found 13ft to be effective in bypassing paywalls, but others have reported mixed results, with some websites still blocking access.
• The use of a fake Googlebot user agent may not be effective in the long term, as websites can verify the IP address of the client and block fake requests.
• The practice of publishing lists of valid IPs for web crawlers can be seen as anti-competitive, as it allows certain companies to access data that is denied to competitors.
• Regulation may be necessary to ensure equal access to the market and prevent anti-competitive practices, but others argue that this is not a concern if all search engines have equal access.
• Some users prefer to use alternative methods, such as browser extensions or archive services, to bypass paywalls and access restricted content.
• The effectiveness of 13ft and similar tools may be limited by the use of Cloudflare and other web application firewalls that can detect and block fake requests.
• The Reddit-Google deal, which gives Google exclusive access to Reddit's data, is seen by some as an example of anti-competitive behavior that could be addressed through regulation.