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Cloning a site -- will it be a mess?

by applegreensnake
9 replies
Thanks for the replies.

I've added this question to the original question:

What about copying the frontend – so you just have the exact same look and graphical elements as the site being cloned, and then build the functionality behind that?

Is that possible?

(I understand of course there are copyright issues. It's just an academic question.)

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Original question follows:

I see there are people who clone sites on fiverr.

Do they access all the code and replicate it so it functions and looks precisely the same – a precise copy of the code?

Or do they copy not so precisely and make a bit of a mess?

(In general.)

Or does it depend on the type of site?

If so, what things does it depend on?

For a non-technical brain what does it depend on?

For example, let's say there's a listing site. People can submit listings with tags, the owner of the site can edit and approve them to appear on the site: would the code that enables that functionality be copyable by a cloner?
#cloning #mess #site
  • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
    Is it a wp blog? if so, do a search for "backupcreator" - there is a 7 dollar version you can use on up to 5 sites and it does a great job.

    On occasion a few plugins will need to be reconfigured on the move. But for 7 bucks you have the software and can backup/clone when ever you want.
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  • Profile picture of the author nmwf
    Originally Posted by applegreensnake View Post

    I see there are people who clone sites on fiverr.
    Yes, and those are the people who violate copyrights for five bucks. Source code is copyrighted!
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  • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
    Originally Posted by applegreensnake View Post

    For example, let's say there's a listing site. People can submit listings with tags, the owner of the site can edit and approve them to appear on the site: would the code that enables that functionality be copyable by a cloner?
    No. It wouldn't be copyable - unless the cloner has somehow hacked the owner's server.

    He could reverse engineer the functionality that is provided by the server, by observing what is presented on the web page, but then would have to create code to emulate that functionality for you to install on your own server.

    It's possible that he/she could obtain a reasonable facsimile of the code from one of the many open source libraries and craft a custom solution for you from various pieces of open source code, but I'm not sure I would trust the results of just any developer you find on a Fiverr gig.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
      My bad - was thinking op wanted to clone one of their own sites.

      If I see a site I'd like to replicate I tend to take a peek into the source code and see if there are any identifying factors as to a script I can purchase to replicate that style myself.

      But as Sid says, don't think you could just get a copy of someone elses site with a $5 quickie.
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  • Profile picture of the author Underground
    Aggravatingly little info available on this subject, considering this model has made one company over a billion dollars.

    I was looking for developers to create a cms for some clones I want to replicate, but hiring Western Firms is too much and hiring from elsewhere you get too much bullshit, however I just found this: Home | CouchCMS - A simple and Open-Source CMS for web designers

    It's free, so worth getting a clone and seeing if you can bring it to life on your own server perhaps. Worth a test.
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  • Profile picture of the author hannahlist
    are you looking to scrape the content too or just the look and feel of the site?

    Cloning services might be illegal.

    Copyright issues can be a hassle.
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  • Profile picture of the author applegreensnake
    Thanks.

    What about copying the frontend – so you just have the exact same look and graphical elements as the site being cloned, and then build the functionality behind that?

    Is that possible?

    (I understand of course there are copyright issues. It's just an academic question.)
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    • Profile picture of the author agmccall
      Originally Posted by applegreensnake View Post

      Thanks.

      What about copying the frontend - so you just have the exact same look and graphical elements as the site being cloned, and then build the functionality behind that?

      Is that possible?

      (I understand of course there are copyright issues. It's just an academic question.)
      Your question is not academic, you want to copy someones site. Instead of that why not just make your own site, it is just as easy to create a site as it is to steal one.

      "How do i break into someones house and steal all there stuff" I don't really want to it is just an academic question.

      al
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  • Profile picture of the author KenW3
    Originally Posted by applegreensnake

    What about copying the frontend – so you just have the exact same look and graphical elements as the site being cloned, and then build the functionality behind that? Is that possible?
    Duplicating a site's appearance is relatively easy. I don't believe you would get a quality job for five dollars, though. There are many sites that look similar. This is because many use the same commercial themes for their CMS or are using the same commercially-available scripts.

    To get an idea of how a web site is put together, a popular tool is BuiltWith.com (which is also available as a browser add-on). BuiltWith provides a technology profile of the software and services used by a website.

    Viewing source of a web page seldom shows everything used on a site, but there are tools available which assist with the work.

    Wappalyzer identifies software used on web sites

    Web Developer adds web developer tools to view code and features

    Firebug allows you to inspect html, CSS, Java Script

    Originally Posted by applegreensnake

    I understand of course there are copyright issues. It's just an academic question.
    What website developer in the world has not visited a site and said to themselves, 'Wow, that feature is useful' or 'This layout is helpful' and 'I'd love to be able to make my site better with this site's abilities'? Reverse engineering site appearance and features helps web developers learn how to better serve their clients or how to make more money for themselves by adding to their site's capabilities.

    Back when I started, viewing other people's code was the only available way to learn. Duplicating a site is a legal problem, but duplicating features and appearance that will be helpful to your website's visitors is smart business.
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