Anyone know how to make a clone of a website in realtime?

[AdHustler]

I have a client who wants me to market their page and they dont have access to the page. They want me to clone it using reverse proxy the way some online call tracking providers do and market the cloned page.

Any clue of a service that can be used for cloning websites in real time through reverse proxy (trust me I googled this)

 

[Kiopa_Matt]

Hire some Russian hackers to root the server, dump the database, and download the site including code?

That's pretty close to the only way. Unless the page just happens to be static HTML -- in that case, File->Save As menu of your web browser.

 

[(O_o)]

real time? eh idk. you could use HTTrack for a majority of the site and then curl a bunch of shit or iframe it for the dynamic stuff.

 

[AngryFiver]

real time? eh idk. you could use HTTrack for a majority of the site and then curl a bunch of shit or iframe it for the dynamic stuff.

Does HTrack work well on forums?

 

[vgeek]

What elements of the page change? wget on a 5 second cronjob or some lazy solution like that?

 

[ayzo]

https://code.google.com/p/php-dynamic-mirror/

 

[lschmidt]

I have a client who wants me to market their page and they dont have access to the page. They want me to clone it using reverse proxy the way some online call tracking providers do and market the cloned page.

Any clue of a service that can be used for cloning websites in real time through reverse proxy (trust me I googled this)

Can you be more specific, for example explain step by step what you would see and what would happen from the user's perspective. This actually sounds pretty easy.

 

[AdHustler]

Can you be more specific, for example explain step by step what you would see and what would happen from the user's perspective. This actually sounds pretty easy.

Companies like Marchex do it for call tracking.

I'd like to be able to basically have a proxy site which does the following

Let's say the client is a big local hotel

1) Replicated the website on another domain
2) Swap out the phone numbers to my own tracking numbers
3) Swap out the form submissions so they go to me rather then them or to both of us
4) Change a few images on the site

This has to be done on the fly though because their site changes frequently.

 

[matt3]

Companies like Marchex do it for call tracking.

I'd like to be able to basically have a proxy site which does the following

Let's say the client is a big local hotel

1) Replicated the website on another domain
2) Swap out the phone numbers to my own tracking numbers
3) Swap out the form submissions so they go to me rather then them or to both of us
4) Change a few images on the site

This has to be done on the fly though because their site changes frequently.

That's asking a lot, and almost unreasonable. (How would you keep php updates without rebuilding your clone every single day?)

You really need access to the server.

Alternatively, htrack will grab all the html as mentioned above and you can replace your own validated forms/numbers, but you're not gonna wanna redo that all the time. Plus dynamic graphics/site functions and anything that's pulled from the db (in this case their booking engine/vacancies is prob really important) is going to be broken.

Why not rip their branding and make a tokened landing page?

 

[zimok]

I mean this in the least judgmental way possible( much respect to you and your network) - if you're incapable of doing what you're asking yourself(or through very personal contacts), it stands to reason that your technical knowledge won't protect you from the amount of liability you'd be opening yourself up to.

Consider that if the hotel chain finds out about you, they can easily construct irrefutable proof that you're copying their website by placing dummy files that your website will copy...
-copyright pictures carry statutory damages in the US
-DMCA can take down all your work
-UDRP can take your domain from you
etc... etc...

Just a word of warning, stay safe!!

 

[vgeek]

Companies like Marchex do it for call tracking.

I'd like to be able to basically have a proxy site which does the following

Let's say the client is a big local hotel

1) Replicated the website on another domain
2) Swap out the phone numbers to my own tracking numbers
3) Swap out the form submissions so they go to me rather then them or to both of us
4) Change a few images on the site

This has to be done on the fly though because their site changes frequently.

If the only thing that changes is the availability and price, there are easier solutions than "cloning" the whole page multiple times.

Copy it once, make the changes you want and host it, then use something like import.io to API'ify the prices/availability. From there, you can manage the logic in whatever language you want.

Even if you did clone their site in real time, you probably will have issues ranking organically as it is duplicate content. AdWords may let you run for a little while, but I'd assume they will catch you if it is a bigger brand of a hotel?

 

[Kiopa_Matt]

Companies like Marchex do it for call tracking.

I'd like to be able to basically have a proxy site which does the following

Let's say the client is a big local hotel

1) Replicated the website on another domain
2) Swap out the phone numbers to my own tracking numbers
3) Swap out the form submissions so they go to me rather then them or to both of us
4) Change a few images on the site

This has to be done on the fly though because their site changes frequently.

Not to point out the obvious or anything, but have you by chance heard about mGrunin and his law suit with Facebook?

Impersonating companies is a bad idea.

 

[AdHustler]

I mean this in the least judgmental way possible( much respect to you and your network) - if you're incapable of doing what you're asking yourself(or through very personal contacts), it stands to reason that your technical knowledge won't protect you from the amount of liability you'd be opening yourself up to.

Consider that if the hotel chain finds out about you, they can easily construct irrefutable proof that you're copying their website by placing dummy files that your website will copy...
-copyright pictures carry statutory damages in the US
-DMCA can take down all your work
-UDRP can take your domain from you
etc... etc...

Just a word of warning, stay safe!!

It's a client. It would be done with permission.

 

[AdHustler]

If the only thing that changes is the availability and price, there are easier solutions than "cloning" the whole page multiple times.

Copy it once, make the changes you want and host it, then use something like import.io to API'ify the prices/availability. From there, you can manage the logic in whatever language you want.

Even if you did clone their site in real time, you probably will have issues ranking organically as it is duplicate content. AdWords may let you run for a little while, but I'd assume they will catch you if it is a bigger brand of a hotel?

I dont want to rank organically, the clone would use robots.txt to block search engines, and it's a client.

 

[AdHustler]

Not to point out the obvious or anything, but have you by chance heard about mGrunin and his law suit with Facebook?

Impersonating companies is a bad idea.

Again, it's a clients site.

 

[Fraggler]

This should help... Ben Alman » Simple PHP Proxy: JavaScript finally "gets" cross-domain!

Probably easiest way is to use that just to create a direct clone of the site and once that's loaded run some javascript to update the phone numbers, form action etc.