Posts on Luis Sousa Blog

Fixing 'Robots.txt Unreachable' in Google Search Console with Traefik and Docker

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

We run a travel blog (joyofexploringtheworld.com) on Docker Compose with Traefik v3 and Cloudflare. One morning Google Search Console showed every page blocked from indexing with “Failed: Robots.txt unreachable”. The site was working fine in a browser, so what was going on?

Two separate issues were conspiring to break Googlebot’s ability to fetch /robots.txt. Here’s what we found and how we fixed both.

The setup Link to heading

Our WordPress service sits on two Docker networks: app-network (shared with Traefik, Redis, imgproxy) and db-network (shared with MariaDB). We run two scaled WordPress containers behind Traefik’s load balancer.

Why Datadog Apache Metrics Showed 404 (And When to Disable the Check)

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:12:00 +0000

We run joyofexploringtheworld.com with Datadog for observability. After setting up the Datadog Agent, we noticed the Apache integration was logging 404 errors every 15 seconds. Here’s why—and two ways to fix it.

The problem Link to heading

Datadog’s Apache integration polls http://localhost/server-status?auto to scrape metrics (requests per second, busy workers, etc.). The official wordpress:latest Docker image does not enable Apache’s mod_status module. So the endpoint doesn’t exist, and every poll returns 404.

Protecting EDD Downloads from URL Guessing

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:10:00 +0000

We sell digital products on joyofexploringtheworld.com using Easy Digital Downloads. By default, EDD stores files in wp-content/uploads/—the same directory as every other WordPress upload. That means anyone who can guess the filename can download the file directly, bypassing purchase validation entirely.

The problem Link to heading

EDD download URLs contain a token that validates the purchase. But the actual file sits in a publicly accessible directory. If someone guesses or discovers the file path (e.g. from a cached CDN URL or a predictable naming pattern), they can download it without paying.

Automated WordPress Backups to Hetzner with Docker (Zero Plugins)

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:08:00 +0000

We run a travel blog at joyofexploringtheworld.com on a single VPS with Docker Compose. Managed backup plugins add overhead, cost money, and only back up what WordPress can see. We wanted to back up everything—volumes, configs, database—automatically, with offsite copies. Here’s how we did it with zero WordPress plugins.

The backup service Link to heading

We use offen/docker-volume-backup as a sidecar container in our Docker Compose stack. It runs on a cron schedule, tars up the mounted volumes, and ships the archive to a remote Hetzner Storage Box via SFTP.

Self-hosted image optimization for WordPress with imgproxy (no premium plugins)

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:06:00 +0000

We run a travel blog (joyofexploringtheworld.com) on a budget VPS with Docker Compose and free Cloudflare. Premium image plugins like ShortPixel charge for resize and optimize—we wanted dynamic images without recurring costs. Here’s how we did it with imgproxy.

Why imgproxy Link to heading

imgproxy runs in Docker, supports signed URLs and allowlisted sources, and outputs WebP/AVIF. We use the official image ghcr.io/imgproxy/imgproxy and pin a version tag for stable deploys. No post edits needed: we rewrite image URLs at runtime via a WordPress MU-plugin so existing content and our Bricksy Pro FSE output stay unchanged.

Running WordPress Cron the Right Way When Your Site Lives in Docker

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:05:00 +0000

We host a travel blog (joyofexploringtheworld.com) on a low-cost VPS with Docker Compose and Cloudflare in front. WordPress’s built-in cron was causing intermittent timeouts in our logs. Here’s how we fixed it.

The problem with WordPress cron in Docker Link to heading

WordPress cron normally “pings itself” on each page load—an HTTP POST to the site from inside the container. Behind a CDN and in Docker, that ping can time out, fail, or hit the wrong instance. We saw cURL timeouts in Datadog and unreliable scheduled tasks.

When "There Has Been an Error Cropping Your Image" Isn't About the Image

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:04:00 +0000

We run a travel blog on a budget stack (joyofexploringtheworld.com) with Docker, Cloudflare, and imgproxy for images. When we hit “There has been an error cropping your image” in the WordPress media editor, the message pointed at the image—but the real cause was elsewhere.

The misleading error Link to heading

The error suggests missing image libraries (GD or Imagick). We confirmed both were installed and working. The actual problem: the crop request to admin-ajax.php was returning 403 Forbidden. That can come from a security plugin, WAF, or nonce validation—not from the image itself.

SEO Housekeeping: Focus Keywords and Sitemaps That Match

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:03:00 +0000

We run a travel blog on a budget VPS (joyofexploringtheworld.com) that helps travellers plan itineraries. Keeping SEO clean without premium plugins is part of the game. Here’s how we fixed mixed signals between focus keywords, noindex, and sitemaps using Rank Math’s free tier.

Why focus keywords matter Link to heading

Each post should have one clear focus phrase—the main search term you want it to rank for. Rank Math stores this in rank_math_focus_keyword post meta. We filled gaps in bulk using WP-CLI, deriving keywords from post titles and search intent (e.g. “cherry blossoms in Paris”, “5 day itinerary Budapest”). Skip utility pages like checkout, receipt, and privacy—they don’t need focus keywords.

Fixing header and footer overlap on WordPress checkout pages (EDD + block theme)