DU is temporarily in "members only" mode (UPDATE: Back to normal for now)

[EarlG]

Last edited Fri Sep 5, 2025, 06:14 PM - Edit history (3)

UPDATE 7:15 PM ET FRIDAY:

It seems that the excess traffic was caused by a search engine crawler that was spamming us with requests. We've blocked the crawler and it seems to have significantly reduced the excess traffic, so we've switched "members only" mode off again, and the site is currently back to normal. Hopefully things will remain stable overnight.

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

We are currently seeing a significant spike in traffic above our normal levels, which appears to be ongoing, and the increase in traffic is causing the site to slow down for everyone.

In "members only" mode, DU can only be viewed by members who are signed in, which significantly reduces the number of connections to the database, meaning that signed-in members can use the site as normal while we investigate the situation. We're looking into what is causing this spike in traffic right now.

[Aristus]

1. Thanks for staying on top of it, Earl.

You’re the best!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Thanks for letting us know, my dear EarlG!

It's good to know what's happening and that you're on top of the situation.

[1WorldHope]

3. Did we get hacked?

[EarlG]

9. No (nt)

[highplainsdem]

4. Thanks, EarlG! Hope it isn't a DDoS attack, but with this fascist administration...

[irisblue]

5. Thanks for the update Earl

Do you & Elad have a fund site so we can buy you coffee/tea/cold drinks as you figure this out?

[Pinback]

8. See the Star Membership page

You can make a 1-time or recurring donation there, even if you’re already a member:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/star

[FemDemERA]

41. Great Idea!

Going there now....

[yellow dahlia]

12. I like that! n/t

[FemDemERA]

43. Done!

and thank you again EarlG and Elad, not only for all the work, but also for making it so easy to contribute even a small amount every now and again!

[malaise]

6. Thanks

Noticed that we slowed down

[orangecrush]

11. Same

[True Dough]

15. True of many of us

as we age!

[malaise]

27. Hehehehhe

😀

[Dave Bowman]

44. Ha! So true. 😆

[ancianita]

24. Same here.

[riversedge]

7. Thanks for information.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. I was wondering!

I have been getting 504 errors on the ":36s", :46s", and/or ":56s" of the hour (ET).

Hope you can find the source!

[orangecrush]

13. Battle stations

[KS Toronado]

14. Would not surprise me if we find MAGAts

going after all Democratic websites.

[Flash953]

16. Agreed!

[Dave Bowman]

45. Well, they have nothing better to do.

[Botany]

17. Earl G

The spike in traffic to DU is that so many of the network, cable, and local news shows have
become Pravda like pro Trump operations. DU although having a liberal slant but the membership
here tends to be truth driven and so you can read the news without the right wing clutter and
the members here except for Botany tend to be smart and will call out misinformation from the
left too.

DU was slow for me this morning so I watched various news shows and so many were just trash.
I had not seen “News Nation” before and it was garbage.

[quaint]

21. Alert: Botany throwing shade at Botany...

[BoRaGard]

28. What you said, Botany

[Dave Bowman]

46. I haven't watched cable news in ages, they keep sucking more and more. Cronkite must be spinning fast in his grave.

[Botany]

55. I can watch some MSNBC later in the day or on the weekends and just a little CNN but there are so many

…. Fox News type outfits that it is not funny. News Nation which I saw for the first time had
some woman saying that the President of some Caribbean Nation that she was glad that
Trump’s murder of those Venezuelans will keep her Island safe from drugs.

Btw I just can’t handle Joe Scarborough every time I see him I think of Florida 2000 and
how helped to steal the election from Al Gore.

[ImNotGod]

18. I think that many people in this country and around the world who normally are Apolitico are, since fascism

has taken over, flooding to progressive safe sites for info and peace of mind. DU, being at the top safe harbor will probably be experiencing exponential growth imho.

[Dave Bowman]

47. +1, very true.

[bamagal62]

19. Thank you, EarlG!

[Orrex]

20. I was hoping the spike was due to news of Felon47's death

Tomorrow is another day

[NNadir]

50. Me too. Hope springs eternal.

[Keepthesoulalive]

22. Thank you

[TNNurse]

23. Caution seems appropriate

There are lots of awful actors out there.

[surfered]

25. Maybe this...

[mwmisses4289]

26. 👍 Thank you.

[Bluestocking]

29. Why not make DU for registered members all the time?

[niyad]

31. Why?

[EarlG]

32. There would be a significant loss of ad revenue if we did that

We would likely have to implement a monthly subscription fee for all members, and I'm not sure it would be economically viable.

[mobeau69]

33. Hell no! We must reach as many people as possible.

[pat_k]

40. +1 Abso-f-ing-lutely!

[Dave Bowman]

48. What pat_k said!

[TomSlick]

54. We all found DU somehow.

When I did, I lurked for awhile to see what was going on.

We need to encourage folks reading DU.

[John1956PA]

56. Sometimes, I log out and read the latest threads, as well as the replies to my posts.

That way, I can see posts from members whom I have on ignore. If I wish to respond to the post of such a member, I will log back in, remove the member from my ignore list, and post my response.

[niyad]

30. Wondered about that. It was very slow when I checked in earlier, but

I did not see anything that would have occasioned such a jump in traffic. Like Orrex, ine was hoping. . . .

[greatauntoftriplets]

34. Thanks for update, EarlG.

It's been a while since this has happened.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

35. Echos of November 2016?

Unforgettable. Can it be determined if the traffic is out of country?

[Scrivener7]

37. Now you have to say, "Pooh, pooh, pooh!" to ward off the evil spirits.

I don't make the rules. I just report them.

[IcyPeas]

51. Pooh?

[marble falls]

36. Thanks. It's good to know we are protected from the barbarians at our gates!

[Pucks mom]

38. Keep us safe! Thanks EarlG

[FalloutShelter]

39. Many thanks Earl.

[tavernier]

42. I know what it is.

Rump just changed from Maybelline to Cover Girl. All the major news outlets are wildly scrambling to do an exclusive. They must figure that DU has a highly developed sense of fashion.

[Wednesdays]

49. Could be preemptive, like something big is about to hit the news

Something REALLY big, like Epstein files release big!

[Alice Kramden]

52. Many thanks, EarlG and Elad

We appreciate your dedication

[hermetic]

53. Yes, thanks.

Hope it's no big deal and everyone has a pleasant evening. And a good weekend.

[Stargazer99]

57. Many thanks Earl for your wonderful care and knowledge