SimplePie bot

What is SimplePie?

SimplePie is a PHP-based RSS and Atom feed parsing library that enables websites and applications to fetch, parse, and display content from syndicated feeds. Developed by Ryan Parman, Geoffrey Sneddon, and Ryan McCue, SimplePie has been available since 2004 and is currently maintained as an open-source project. It's technically classified as a feed parser or aggregator rather than a traditional web crawler, though it does make HTTP requests to fetch feed content.

When SimplePie accesses your site, it identifies itself with a user agent string that typically follows this format: SimplePie/[VERSION] (Feed Parser; http://simplepie.org; Allow like Gecko) Build/[BUILD_NUMBER]. The default user agent can be customized by developers implementing SimplePie in their applications. You can find comprehensive documentation and download the latest version at SimplePie.org.

SimplePie works by making HTTP requests to RSS or Atom feed URLs, parsing the XML content, and providing a structured API that developers can use to access feed items, titles, descriptions, and other feed elements. It's designed to handle various feed formats and edge cases that might arise when working with syndicated content.

Why is SimplePie crawling my site?

If you're seeing SimplePie in your server logs, it's likely because someone has configured an application to fetch and parse your site's RSS or Atom feeds. This is typically legitimate activity from users who want to follow your content through feed readers, content aggregators, or custom applications.

SimplePie doesn't crawl entire websites—it specifically targets feed URLs (like /feed/, /rss/, or /atom.xml). The frequency of these requests depends entirely on how the third-party application using SimplePie is configured. Some applications might check for updates every hour, while others might do so daily or even less frequently.

The crawling is generally triggered when a user or application wants to check for new content in your feed. It's important to note that SimplePie itself is just a library—the actual requests come from applications that implement this library, not from SimplePie's developers.

What is the purpose of SimplePie?

SimplePie exists to make it easier for developers to work with RSS and Atom feeds. Its primary purpose is to handle the complexities of feed parsing so that developers can focus on building applications that consume syndicated content. Applications using SimplePie might include:

• Feed readers and news aggregators
• Content curation platforms
• Websites that display news from multiple sources
• Applications that need to monitor content updates

For website owners who publish feeds, SimplePie-powered applications help distribute your content to a wider audience. When your content is consumed through RSS/Atom feeds, it can reach readers who prefer to use feed readers rather than visiting your site directly.

The library provides value to both developers (by simplifying feed handling) and indirectly to content publishers (by making their content more accessible to feed-reading audiences).

How do I block SimplePie?

SimplePie is designed to respect the standard web protocols, including robots.txt directives. If you want to block SimplePie from accessing your feeds, you can add the following to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: SimplePie
Disallow: /feed/
Disallow: /rss/
Disallow: /atom.xml

However, since SimplePie is a library that can be used with custom user agents, blocking it completely can be challenging. Some implementations might use modified user agent strings that don't include "SimplePie" at all. In these cases, you might need to implement IP-based blocking or other server-side mechanisms to control access.

Keep in mind that blocking feed access will prevent legitimate users from subscribing to your content through feed readers. If your concern is about bandwidth usage, consider implementing feed caching or limiting the amount of content included in your feeds rather than blocking access entirely.

If you're experiencing issues with a specific application that uses SimplePie, it's often better to contact the operators of that application rather than trying to block the library itself, as SimplePie is just the tool being used to access your content.