> Optimizing an image meant that Next.js downloaded the image from one of those hosts to Vercel first, optimized it, then served to the users.
So Metacast generate bot traffic on other websites, presumably to "borrow" their content and serve it to their own users, but they don't like it when others do the same to them.
Hi, I'm the author of the blog (though I didn't post it on HN).
I'd encourage you to read up on how the podcast ecosystem works.
Podcasts are distributed via RSS feeds hosted all over the internet, but mostly on specialized hosting providers like Transistor, Megaphone, Omny Studio, etc. that are designed to handle huge amounts of traffic.
All podcast apps (literally, all of them) like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Overcast, Pocket Casts, etc. constantly crawl and download RSS feeds, artwork images and mp3s from podcast hosts.
This is how podcasts are distributed since they were introduced by Apple in early 2000s. This is why podcasting still remains an open, decentralized ecosystem.
So Metacast generate bot traffic on other websites, presumably to "borrow" their content and serve it to their own users, but they don't like it when others do the same to them.