up vote 0 down vote favorite
share [g+] share [fb]

How do you view a websites structure (similar to ftp) without getting the default index page? Basically, how do you browse a websites 'file and folder structure'?

link|improve this question
88% accept rate
feedback

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote accepted

Many websites prevent this and this kind of logic will not work on many sites. Websites developed using a MVC framework has a 'non traditional' way of storing the files.

For example, Ruby on Rails (a MVC framework) has a different folder for the different types of models in the site. You can use the routes.rb file to make it appear that files are located elsewhere in the directories, but it's masked with routing of their actual locations. (not extremely accurate, but gives a dumb-down version of what happens)

enter image description here

Update: To answer your question specifically,

If you're running apache on the website, you can edit your httpd.conf file and add

Options All Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews

However, if the website is not yours, then you will be limited as to what you can access. Even if you do manage to find a site structure, through http, would be unable to see any server side executed code.

link|improve this answer
So how do you browse the site structure of a website? – user973917 Oct 4 '11 at 15:27
1  
If the website is not yours and you do not care about the server side executed stuff, you can check out webreaper.net which will basically go through and click on all of the links. Perhaps if you mentioned what you're trying to do with the site structure, we can point you in the proper direction. – kobaltz Oct 4 '11 at 15:36
feedback

Your Answer

 
or
required, but never shown
discard

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.