Is it possible to save internet data in BAS by for example, not loading images etc. You know, to really like save as much bandwith as possible.
If so, can it be detected?
@excelant100 Yes, possible
Use "Request Mask Deny" action
For example, *.jpg mask will block all jpg images
you can block url that contain image from site like:
I also block all images from the main domain on most sites we are working on. Never had any problems and it saves a huge amount of bandwidth.
The fingerprinting/tracking images that maybe can detect BAS if disabled are almost always from 3rd party domains (the domain of the provider of the "anti-fraud" service). So simply let those images load and all should work fine.
Here are some interesting approaches for saving traffic using Squid/Haproxy: https://community.bablosoft.com/topic/16335/best-method-s-to-minimize-compact-traffic-consumption-of-project
You should absolutely try to block images. Either add Request Mask Deny, or it can also be done in browser settings itself. (Site Settings -> Images -> Don't allow).
Though, the actual game changer is reusing cache as stated in @morpheus93 linked article. All the images that are considered static and could be cache-controlled will be reused from cache. At the same time, any fingerprinting images would still be loaded, as their requests should have some no-cache control headers, thus they always skip cache.
@morpheus93 As I want to keep full anonymity (I am fooling ad networks), I cannot allow myself to block images from those "anti-fraud" services, but I can at leasts block the ones of the website.
The thread you linked was very helpful. There is basically 2 methods:
First one is to use a cheap proxy to cache most elements (so you don't download it again) with a cheap proxy and then copy the profile to use it with your actual good proxy. The idea is good, but I cannot allow myself to use a cheap proxy if there is "anti-fraud" services as they could quickly flag in some way the profile by caching something you don't want. So this solution is not solid.
The second one was basically the same thing, but instead of going through the trouble of doing profiles, you have some kind of software that reroute the traffic depending on the source website. So important traffic will be routed to a good proxy while useless traffic will be routed to a cheap proxy. But the problem will still persist, as those useless traffic could be "anti-fraud" that will flag your operation and make it fail. So this solution is not solid either.
In conclusion, blocking images from the main website seems the most secure option to save bandwith, but it will not reduce the bandwith enough to make it profitable as the main costs are the ads and third-party images. For example, my website's image only consume 170Kb. So I am not saving much.
I hope there could be some secure way to save significant bandwith.
If not, I guess I'll have to look into services that offers unlimited data, but usually they are spammed and very expensive.
