Merge tag 'bcachefs-2025-07-11' of git://evilpiepirate.org/bcachefs

As you're reading this, it's likely because the administrator of this website has taken measures to protect their server against the scourge of AI-powered bots and scraping services. This proactive step is designed to safeguard the website's resources from being exploited by malicious actors, ensuring a smoother experience for all users.

Anubis, the tool behind this protection mechanism, employs a Proof-of-Work scheme inspired by Hashcash, a proposed solution to reduce email spam. At an individual level, the additional load generated by Anubis is negligible; however, when faced with mass scraper requests, it becomes a significant burden that makes scraping much more expensive and time-consuming.

On the surface, Anubis appears as a hack designed to provide a "good enough" placeholder solution, allowing website administrators to focus on more advanced fingerprinting techniques to identify legitimate users. By presenting this challenge-proof page only to headless browsers – such as those used by AI-powered bots – Anubis effectively filters out malicious traffic and reduces the need for a no-JS solution.

However, Anubis comes with its own set of requirements. To bypass this challenge, modern JavaScript features must be enabled. Unfortunately, plugins like JShelter will disable these features, rendering Anubis ineffective. As such, users must disable JShelter or similar plugins to proceed.

It's worth noting that the current implementation of Anubis relies on the use of JavaScript, which presents a significant challenge for website administrators seeking a no-JS solution. This workaround is an acknowledgment of the evolving social contract between website hosting and AI-powered scraping services – one that prioritizes security and user experience above convenience.

While Anubis may seem like an inconvenient hurdle, it serves as a necessary step in protecting websites from malicious activity and ensuring that legitimate users have access to the resources they need. By acknowledging the limitations of this solution and working towards more advanced, JavaScript-agnostic alternatives, website administrators can create a safer and more user-friendly online environment for all.