W3 Total Cache/Cloudflare/BulletProof

Yes, what BPS is doing is very complicated and the code is very complex, but the user end of it has been very simplified so that users only need to click buttons without knowing anything about anything.

“…what is the equivalent less intrusive alternative?”

The answer is none. I’m pretty sure that BPS has the most extensive and comprehensive .htaccess code of any htaccess security plugins or security plugins that use htaccess security code. The help and messaging is very simple, clear, easy to understand and leaves the end user with simple “click heres”. It doesn’t get any simpler than BPS.

“intrusive” is an incorrect adjective to describe BPS. I think you meant to say less extensive or less comprehensive or maybe just more simplied. BPS looks/checks much deeper than just the surface level and displays and provides extensive help information. It may appear overwhelming at first, but my personal opinion is that “too much help information” is always better than “not enough help information”.

Please read the entire displayed help message that BPS is displaying to you. It explains exactly what needs to be done and provides a link to the W3TC settings page in the displayed message. Click the link in the displayed message, do what the displayed help message says to do: click the W3TC auto-install or deploy buttons as explained in the BPS displayed message/alert.

NOTE: If your root .htaccess file is locked then you need to unlock it first, by clicking the Unlock htaccess File button on the BPS Edit/Upload/Download page to allow W3TC to write to the root .htaccess file. This information is also displayed to you in the BPS message/alert:

“…If your root .htaccess file is locked then you need to unlock it to allow W3TC to write its htaccess code to your root htaccess file.”

The entire displayed message/alert:

W3 Total Cache is activated, but W3TC .htaccess code was NOT found in your root .htaccess file. W3TC needs to be redeployed by clicking either the auto-install or deploy buttons. If your root .htaccess file is locked then you need to unlock it to allow W3TC to write its htaccess code to your root htaccess file. Click to Redeploy W3TC.

NOTE: The Blue Read Me help buttons throughout BPS provide extensive help information.
The BulletProof Security Forum provides additional help information and troubleshooting help: https://forum.ait-pro.com/forums/forum/bulletproof-security-free/

On a side note I checked out your site to look at a couple of things out of curiosity and noticed this page on your site is a carbon copy from Wikipedia Climate Change without giving a reference back to Wikipedia as credit for being the original author of the post. This will get your website penalized by Google. You should be giving credit to Wikipedia as the original author.

itsjustlife.co.uk/interesting-subjects/climate-change/

oh never mind I see you gave Wikipedia credit at the end/bottom of the post. ??

Hi

Thank you for coming back to me, it is appreciated.

Yes I saw the comments within Bulletproof but what I can’t see is how to unlock my root htaccess file, the instructions are fine but like a lot of manuals they assume a technical competence a lot of us don’t have which is why I am nervous about Bulletpoint!

So can you help, how do I lock and unlock my htaccess file and is it likely that this is also the reason W3TC is not talking to Cloudflare?

Thank you for your help so far

Phil

Bulletpoints and Bullets make me nervous too, but not BulletProof Security. LOL

Do you see Lock and Unlock buttons on the BulletProof Security Edit/Upload/Download page?

If so, then that is where they are and that is how you lock and unlock your root .htaccess file.
If not, then you probably have a DSO configured Server. If you have a DSO configured Server then you will not see Lock and Unlock buttons. So you do not need to unlock the file because it is not locked.

Post this information about your website from the BulletProof Security System Info page.

Server Type:
Operating System:
Server API:

Hi

Thank you, seems to have worked so little less nervious!

Thank you for your patience and for being a little curious about my site

Kindest regards

Phil

Let me know if I can answer any remaining questions about W3TC: https://www.w3-edge.com/contact/