Access gates
A gate is a rule that decides whether a download can be served. Gates run before the file streams. A gate can pass (let the request through), challenge (ask the viewer for input, like a password or CAPTCHA), or fail (block the request outright).
The add-on ships seven built-in gates. Each one has its own page in this section with the settings and behaviour for that gate.
Built-in gates
| Gate | When it runs | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Permission | Always. Checks the viewer's permission to download from the category. | Permission gate |
| Password | When a download has a password set. | Password gate |
| Criteria | When the category has criteria gate rules. | Criteria gate |
| Hotlink | When Hotlink protection is on. | Hotlink gate |
| Rate limit | When the category or the global option sets a per-hour limit. | Rate limit gate |
| CAPTCHA | When CAPTCHA challenge for guests is not "Disabled" and the viewer is a guest. | CAPTCHA gate |
| Bandwidth | Always. Picks the viewer's per-stream speed cap. Never blocks. | Bandwidth gate |
How gates evaluate
Gates run in order. The first gate that does not pass returns its result to the viewer; later gates do not run.
| Result | What the viewer sees |
|---|---|
| Pass | Nothing. The next gate runs. |
| Challenge | A prompt (password, CAPTCHA, "log in to continue"). The viewer responds and the request is retried. |
| Fail | An error page or 403. The download does not start. |
The bandwidth gate always passes. Its job is to look up the viewer's speed cap and hand it to the stream so the response can throttle correctly.
Preview vs download
Some gates skip when the action is a preview rather than a download.
| Gate | Applies to preview |
|---|---|
| Permission | Yes |
| Password | Yes |
| Criteria | Yes |
| CAPTCHA | Yes |
| Hotlink | No |
| Rate limit | No |
| Bandwidth | No (preview reads are small) |
Bypass permissions
Several gates honour a moderator or user-group permission that skips the check entirely.
| Gate | Bypassed by |
|---|---|
| Hotlink | Bypass hotlink protection |
| Rate limit | Bypass rate limit |
| Criteria | Bypass criteria gate (moderator) |
Grant these permissions on the relevant user group at AdminCP > Groups & permissions > Permissions.
Audit log
A gate that fails or challenges may write a row to the audit log. See audit log.