how to disable view source option in firefox and chrome ?/

Question

I have created a webpage but my friends or collegues always copy the source code and copy all the data easily, so is there any way to hide page source option from browser ?

Answer 1

As a rule, if you are putting information on another user's computer (whether because you made a document or they viewed your webpage), you really can't control what they do with it.

This is an issue that larger companies deal with often. Have you heard of DRM? It's a mechanism that companies like to try to use to control how people can connect to their services, use their content and in general, try to exert control over their data while it's on your system.

Now, a web page is a relatively simple container for holding information. You expressed an urge to prevent your friends from copying the source code. You could try to encrypt it, but if it's using local data to decrypt itself, there still isn't going to be anything that stops them from just copying what's in the View Source window and running it again (even if they can't really read it).

I'd suggest that you don't worry about it. If what you have on your page is so important that others shouldn't be able to see it, don't put it on a webpage.

Finally, Google doesn't much care that you're able to view the source to their home page. Why not? Because the value of the search engine isn't in what the home page looks like, but in the data on the back-end that you don't have direct access to. The value is in the algorithms that execute on the server when you hit that Google Search button that queries that data and returns the information you're looking for. There's very little relative value in the generated HTML that you see in the page. Take a leaf from their book and don't stress that they copy your HTML.

Answer 2

No , there isnt any way to do it, however you can disable right clicking in browser via javascript, but still they can use shortkeys to open developer view (in chrome F12) and see the source. You cannot hide html or javascript from client, but maybe you can make it harder to read.

Answer 3

No. Your HTML output is in the user's realm. Even if there was a way to disable view source in one client, a user could use a different one Always assume that your site's HTML is fully available to end users.

Answer 4

Yes and no. You can definitely make HTML and JS harder to intrepret by obfuscating your code - that is, taking your code and making it look confusing. Here is a tool that can do that: http://www.colddata.com/developers/online_tools/obfuscator.shtml

However, these things all use code, and code can be decrypted through any number of methods. If you post a song to the internet, even if they cannot find the mp3, they can simply record their speakers. If you upload an image and prevent users from downloading it, they can take a screenshot or use their camera. In order for HTML and Javascript to work, it has to be intrepreted by their computer, and even if you do find a way to disable "View Source" there are others ways, like a DOM inspector (F12 in IE/Chrome, Ctrl+Shift+K in Firefox).

As a workaround, use copyright, warn your users they will be punished if they copy your code, and put watermarks, labels and logos over any mp3s or images you don't want stolen. In the end, disabling right clicking (which is also possible, see How do I disable right click on my web page? ) or disabling selection (also possible) does nothing, because there is more than one way to get your code, like searching through temporary internet files.

However, you ask "what if I want a site where my users can log in and I need security? How can I make it so nobody can see my code then? Doesn't it have to be secure and not out in the open?"

And the answer is, yes, it needs to be secure. That's what server-side languages, like PHP, are for. PHP does all the work on the server itself so the user cannot see it. PHP is like a pre-rendered language - rather than doing it in real-time, PHP does all the work beforehand so the user's computer doesn't have to, making the code safe. The code is never put onto the user's computer, because the user's computer doesn't need it. The work is done by the website itself before the page is sent. SSL is often paired with PHP to make absolutely sure that websites have not been hacked.

But HTML and Javascript have to be done in real time on the user's computer, so you cannot disable View Source because it is useless. There are many, many ways that users could get around it, even if View Source is disabled, and even if right clicking is disabled.

If your code doesn't need to be secure, however, I'd recommend you consider keeping it open source. :)