You can determine how the plugin handles file types supported by WordPress. The default settings allow all files to be stored externally. You can also customize the behaviour as described here.
Understanding hosting and proxy
You can specify where the file should be hosted for each file type. This can be both the external source and the local WordPress project.
If the external source is selected, you can also choose whether a proxy should be used for delivery. This option serves to protect the privacy of visitors to your website. If, for example, an image were to be located externally, a request would be sent from the visitor's browser to the external source each time the website in which the image is embedded is accessed. According to the German understanding of data protection, this constitutes misconduct, which is why the plugin provides a proxy as a solution. This provides a URL in your project that is called up by the visitor instead of the external URL. This ensures the data protection of your visitors.
Of course, a proxy does not really make sense for every file type. It is therefore only active for images by default. PDF and ZIP files do not use it, but you can activate it there too.
Available file types
The plugin manages file types as categories, which in turn can contain several different file formats. The plugin distinguishes between the following file types:
- Audio
- Everything that counts below, e.g. mp3
- Files
- Everything that does not belong to the other file types.
- Pictures
- The usual web-compatible image formats such as JPG, PNG, SVG.
- PDFs
- Only applies to PDF files
- ZIP
- Only affects ZIP files
Make settings
You can find the settings for the file types in your WordPress backend under Settings > External files for the media library > File types.
Here you have the setting options described below for each file type.
Mode
Here you select where the file should be hosted. It can remain external or be hosted locally. Locally hosted files always have a link to the original external source, so you can recognize their origin.
Please note that, depending on the source, local hosting may be mandatory. This is particularly the case if (as with FTPFTP File Transfer Protocol) this is not publicly accessible.
Proxy
Here you can activate the proxy for the file type by ticking the box. If it is activated, the file will be delivered by your local WordPress project.
Age for proxy cache
The specification here determines how old the proxy cache may be. If the time has expired, the file is automatically reloaded from the external source.
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