Hotlinking images is a method used by website owners to save bandwidth by embedding images from an external source, rather than hosting the files directly on their server. On CBSplit, enabling hotlinking can be a practical way to reduce your hosting costs and improve site performance. Here’s a step-by-step guide to configure this feature.

To begin, log in to your CBSplit account and follow these steps:

- Head to the `/apps` section in your dashboard. - Select the domain you want to configure for hotlinking. - This ensures you’re making changes to the correct site under your CBSplit setup.

Once your domain is selected:

- Locate the Setup Tab. - Look for the option to enable Hotlinking Protection or a similar feature. - Toggle the setting to “Enable” and save your changes.

If your site is configured under DOSarrest, hotlinking won't work. DOSarrest is a cloud-based DDoS protection service, and its security mechanisms can interfere with hotlinking features.

To work around this limitation, consider:

- Disabling DOSarrest for your domain, if possible. - Moving to an alternative security service, such as Cloudflare, which supports hotlinking.

Cloudflare is a widely-used content delivery network (CDN) that integrates seamlessly with CBSplit. To enable hotlinking using Cloudflare:

1. Log in to your Cloudflare account and select your domain. 2. Navigate to the Rules section and create a new Page Rule. 3. Configure the rule to allow hotlinking for specific image files (e.g., `.jpg`, `.png`, `.gif`) hosted on external servers. 4. Save the rule and ensure your Cloudflare settings are synchronized with CBSplit.

- Reduced Bandwidth Usage: By serving images from external servers, you decrease the load on your CBSplit hosting.

- Improved Loading Speed: Offloading image hosting to a specialized service or CDN enhances site performance.

- Cost Savings: Lower bandwidth consumption translates to reduced hosting costs on CBSplit.