Page 1 of 1
Can't search while logged out
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2026 3:26 pm
by Zinc
I used to be able to use the search bar to search the forum while logged out, but now I need to be logged in. The search bar does not appear, and going to forums.factorio.com/search.php does not work either unless logged in. Is anyone else experiencing this issue? I understand if this is an intentional change (would it happen to be related to the recent forum issues?) - I just wanted to know if I am doing something wrong.
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2026 3:57 pm
by eugenekay
Yes, it seems like the ability to Search was recently restricted to Logged-In Users in phpBB. The Factorio Forums' database uses the
MyISAM table type, which has been known to slow down during multiple concurrent Search queries. There have apparently been recent
attacks against the forums. Disabling Search for not-logged-in users is an easy way to reduce the impact of Searches.
Good Luck!
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2026 5:45 pm
by BHakluyt
It also makes it impossible for my AI to search the forum how to mod stuff correctly for me...
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2026 2:36 am
by eugenekay
- OhNoAnyway.jpg (87.36 KiB) Viewed 1988 times
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2026 11:25 am
by fmaw
I'm also wondering if this is intentional or not.
For privacy reasons, I always hide behind a VPN and only login when I want to purchase or post something. I used to be able to easily read the 'Active topic' every day to see what's going on in the community. Now I have to login to read that.
Not a major issue, but an unfortunate one of it is indeed intentional. Navigating the internet anonymously is becoming more of a hassle day by day!
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2026 12:00 pm
by Rseding91
It is all intentional.
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2026 7:29 pm
by BHakluyt
Rseding91 wrote: Thu Aug 13, 2026 12:00 pm
It is all intentional.
I was one of the users requesting to add the active topics button back a while ago. Guess too many people check whats trending that way. I must have pressed that button at least 5 times a day when I have internet. Its a nice way to see whats going on. Happy it still works while logged in at least!
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2026 11:28 am
by Sanqui
Disabling search for guests was intentional, and unfortunately "active topics" is considered search in phpBB despite being a simpler query. As the DDOS situation is stabilized we will probably re-enable it.
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2026 6:16 pm
by Shirasik
BHakluyt wrote: Wed Aug 12, 2026 5:45 pm
It also makes it impossible for my AI to search the forum how to mod stuff correctly for me...
So that was not DDoS attacks that's just AIs swiping through over and over again and again while thinking through.
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2026 6:30 pm
by BHakluyt
Nah I doubt it, at least not me. I operate on F free so I only use the free ones so I dont get to use it much often plus I don't have regular internet either. African deep in the African bush. So damn I hope I didn't cause a DDOS? lol thats impossible for a n00b. Or wait...that's exactly the kind of stuff n00bs do!!!? I'm lost. Cheers! Factorio is awesome hey?!?
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2026 6:54 pm
by Shirasik
BHakluyt wrote: Fri Aug 14, 2026 6:30 pm
Nah I doubt it, at least not me. I operate on F free so I only use the free ones so I dont get to use it much often plus I don't have regular internet either. African deep in the African bush. So damn I hope I didn't cause a DDOS? lol thats impossible for a n00b. Or wait...that's exactly the kind of stuff n00bs do!!!? I'm lost. Cheers! Factorio is awesome hey?!?
Just you alone? Hardly. Thousands of AI agents spamming search queries? Trivially.
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2026 12:51 pm
by Sanqui
From what I can tell, it's not really AI scrapers (this time) but a targeted attack on phpBB since they specifically request expensive endpoints and abuse phpBB's flawed handling of anonymous sessions. And if you've never seen a DDOS before, I can share with you how it looks on the graphs.
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2026 1:52 am
by Shirasik
Sanqui wrote: Sat Aug 15, 2026 12:51 pm
From what I can tell, it's not really AI scrapers (this time) but a targeted attack on phpBB since they specifically request expensive endpoints and abuse phpBB's flawed handling of anonymous sessions. And if you've never seen a DDOS before, I can share with you how it looks on the graphs.
Let me rephrase this into more human language:
"As we have access to server logs we can see clearly that servers are being overloaded by query spam that includes requests for most expensive stuff only. The requests are neither premeditated nor followed by other requests which are typical to human user behaviour or AI scrappers activity. So we can conclude the extra load pattern has nothing to do with consumer-related demand."
Load graphs are nice as they show when and how severe the activity was but graphs alone don't show what exactly was happening. And no, I don't ask you to prove anything to me. Thanks for the graphs anyway.
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2026 11:04 am
by Sanqui
Shirasik wrote: Sun Aug 16, 2026 1:52 am
Let me rephrase this into more human language:
"As we have access to server logs we can see clearly that servers are being overloaded by query spam that includes requests for most expensive stuff only. The requests are neither premeditated nor followed by other requests which are typical to human user behaviour or AI scrappers activity. So we can conclude the extra load pattern has nothing to do with consumer-related demand."
Load graphs are nice as they show when and how severe the activity was but graphs alone don't show what exactly was happening. And no, I don't ask you to prove anything to me. Thanks for the graphs anyway.
Thanks, that's basically it :)
Also to be clear I didn't mean to sound condescending with the "if you've never seen a DDOS" bit, it was more an pretence to share the screenshot with everybody.
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2026 11:15 am
by EvilPLa
Thanks for the graphs, even as an oldtimer in IT, I haven't seen these kind things.
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2026 4:25 pm
by eugenekay
Logged-out Search is enabled again as of the timestamp of this Post.
Honestly, I prefer the forced log-in. It reduces casual forum-browsing (eg, when bored).
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2026 4:29 pm
by Klonan
eugenekay wrote: Tue Aug 18, 2026 4:25 pm(eg, when bored).
but.. I am always bored
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2026 4:36 pm
by mmmPI
If only there was a fun game to play to get distracted x)
Re: Can't search while logged out
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2026 4:41 pm
by BHakluyt
Klonan wrote: Tue Aug 18, 2026 4:29 pm
eugenekay wrote: Tue Aug 18, 2026 4:25 pm(eg, when bored).
but.. I am always bored
How can you be bored mate? Didn't you hear, there is several TONS, yeah measure them, TONS of feature requests still to be implemented!