XF 2.2 proxy.php using a lot of resources

[dvduval]

My host (knownhost) told me proxy.php is using a lot of resources. Site was down a lot this morning. You can see their message below:

CPU resources limit was reached for your site
You have reached the entry processes (the number of simultaneously running php and cgi scripts, as well as cron jobs and shell sessions) limit 12000 times
I/O usage resources limit was reached for your site
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I see that following script using a lot of your account's resource.
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/opt/cpanel/ea-php81/root/usr/bin/php-cgi /home/dancefo2/public_html/proxy.php
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I recommend you check mentioned script -OR- increase resources limits for your account.

 

[dvduval]

Okay, I guess I'll try to find someone who can give me support somewhere else.

 

[James]

There have been recent comments about the bytespider attacking resources.
Check your site access logs to see what is behind the requests.

@MySiteGuy or @MattW may be able to offer more specific advice.

 

[cwe]

I'm guessing proxy.php handles cached images? I'd curious to know what it does.

 

[MySiteGuy]

If the features are turned on in the admin panel:

1. proxy.php fetches images people place in their posts. I'm not referring to the user uploading images, but instead when they put the image URL in their post. The proxy stores them on the local server. If you set the proxy cache to never expire, it insures the image is available if it's deleted from the other site. It keeps the other site from seeing your visitor's IP addresses when they view these posts.

2. proxy.php also allows you to proxy links. If a user places a non-image link in their post, when other users click this link instead of taking them directly to the URL, the proxy does this: a) intercepts the click and logs it (you can view click logs in the admin panel) and b) then takes them to the URL. This feature also prevents the other site from seeing which page on your site referred them -- all they will see in their logs is proxy.php.

Item 1 can be an issue for resources if your site is image heavy, since it has to run proxy.php for each image in the posts, for each user viewing the posts.