A mirror site is a website that has been copied and hosted on another server. It’s a replica of the existing site that is completely identical to it in both architecture and content — except for the fact that it has a different URL.
In simple terms, a mirror site is an alternative source for the same content. Essentially, you have two (or more) websites that are exact copies of one another in both content and structure but have distinct URLs. This is most often done to address network saturation and ensure that users can still access the mirror site if the primary website is unavailable.
That’s the main reason why mirror sites are hosted on different servers: the creation of mirror websites relieves the main server by distributing its traffic to other servers, typically located in different geographical areas.
It’s worth noting that mirroring is not the same as creating a backup. These terms are often used interchangeably; however, they serve two different purposes. Mirroring is a method used to improve accessibility, reduce the latency of the primary website by hosting on servers that are in closer proximity to the users, and divide the load between multiple web servers. Backups, on the other hand, are created for the purpose of data protection and recovery.
The main reason why mirror sites are important is that they enable fast access to a website from anywhere in the world, which can be particularly beneficial in instances where the primary site is geographically distant from the users accessing it.
The second noteworthy role that mirror sites play in improving accessibility to the primary website is that they distribute traffic load across multiple web servers. If the primary website generates a lot of traffic, a mirror site could be used as a “relay” to ensure the website can handle increased demand. Furthermore, mirror sites improve the accessibility of the website’s downloadable files by making them available on other servers. That is why some free, open-source software projects have partial mirrors from which users can access and download software at a higher download speed since those sites are expected to have a higher server load.
There are, of course, many other scenarios in which mirroring a site can be beneficial:
Creating a mirror of a website involves downloading a copy of the files that make up the website, including CSS, JavaScript files, and images, and the static version of HTML. The process can take a lot of time and bandwidth for larger websites, but you can usually download the pages for a smaller site fairly quickly.
You can use several methods and tools to create a mirror site, so the steps may vary depending on the approach you choose.
On that note, there are many different tools you could use to mirror a website, including free and open-source software such as HTTrack, cURL, and GNU Wget. These are developed to simplify retrieving large files and make the process of mirroring a website easier.
You will need to download and unpack the zipped files before installing the mirroring tool. For example, if you’re using GNU Wget on Windows, the initial setup will look like this:
Next, you will need to configure it to mirror your website by specifying the website’s URL and the directory where the mirrored files will be saved.
To start the process, run the command “wget -r https://www.domain.com/” using the URL of your website, and Wget will save the files in a new folder. You’ll find more information about the Wget commands and what they do here.
You can also test your mirror website by opening the HTML files in a browser to ensure it works as expected.
In instances where a subdomain or a completely different domain is used for a mirrored website, it is crucial to add canonical tags. Otherwise, duplicate content may be a negative ranking factor for the primary website’s domain.
The legality of mirroring depends on who is mirroring the site and the intent behind it. A website, including the code, design, and content featured on it, is protected by copyright law, namely, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which covers content published online. So, if mirroring is done by the website’s owner and external parties that have obtained permission, it’s legal. But in all other cases, unless otherwise specified, mirroring a site without permission is illegal.