Repl Team, Please Add an Option to Disable Forking!
Sometimes, code needs to be private, but not always completely private (like a Hacker Plan private repository).
What I mean is, sometimes you want others to use your program, so you want your product to be accessible by the public, but in a closed-source way (so the actual code behind it is hidden and un-fork-able).
Please add an option, preferably one available for standard and Hacker plan users alike, to at least disable forking, and more ideally, hide the code behind the Repl, while allowing the public to access/run the Repl.
Thank you!
P.S. Community members, please upvote and/or comment to show your support for this and if you agree!
I already made a post on this in the feedback board: https://replit.canny.io/general-feedback/p/enabledisable-forking-of-repls
@RayhanADev I agree with you and I support this.
https://replit.canny.io/hacker-board
add it here
@DillonB07 I agree.
Or just use github repos which can be hidden and linked to replit @DillonB07
Use github private repos when done with coding and delete of replit , you can import again later @DillonB07
...
Re-read the original post.
Well even if they do that
people could still copy your code lol
also
forking shouldn't be disabled because there is no point
just make them private, I have not seen a single reason to disable forking, do you have any reason specifically?
@Coder100 Yes. I'm making a project that needs its code to be private/closed-source, whilst being runnable by the public.
If I were to make a private Repl, no one besides me can run the repl.
I need something middle-ground; so that my Repl can be run by anyone, but the product's code remains closed-source.
I need it to be on Repl because I need my Python project to be embedded in an HTML page, which is easy with Replit.
I plan to make my code open-source later on, but at the moment, this project's code which I am mentioning must be private.
@alialiwa2005 then make your code private
web projects would run without the need to make the repl public
terminal projects don't have this feature, but the non-forking feature wouldn't help this either
because people could still copy the code
@Coder100 How could people still copy the code if the Repl won't be forkable and the 'code' tab will not be viewable?
oh i see nvm
a close option would just to embed the repl @alialiwa2005
@Coder100 Yeah, I tried that earlier, but it still exposes my project.
Someone actually forked it while I was testing that out... pretty upsetting... but at least the program wasn't fully done yet.
@ch1ck3n What's that?
but why don't you want your code public
imo there is no downside to remixing, as long as they credit you @alialiwa2005
@alialiwa2005 make a repl that has a link to your private repl result
@Coder100 It's a school project, and I don't want to give away my answers until I submit it and my project is graded.
After my project is graded, I'll likely make my code opensource.
But in the meantime, I need a solution where I can embed my code in a way where it is accessible by others (to run only), without exposing my program behind the end product.
@ch1ck3n What do you mean? Isn't that the same as directly giving the link to my Repl?
Can you kindly elaborate?
@alialiwa2005
Well if it's a website
and you don't want to show the code
and you want other people to be able to run it but not see the code
just make a repl that redirects other people to your website so they can "run" it
@ch1ck3n Yes, but on my website, my Repl would be embedded, with a view like this:
My code would still be forkable and exposed.
I guess I'd need an alternative to Repl?
Another way to embed Python in HTML, without exposing my code.
@alialiwa2005 also why do you need to hide your code
@ch1ck3n It's a school project, and I don't want to give away my answers until I submit it and my project is graded.
After my project is graded, I'll likely make my code opensource.
But in the meantime, I need a solution where I can embed my code in a way where it is accessible by others (to run only), without exposing my program behind the end product.
@alialiwa2005 well
like most assignments
usually you make it privately
and when you want to release it, you make it public.
@Coder100 What if I want to make it closed source? I can't believe there's no option to make a public, closed-source Repl.
because that is contradictory
public closed source
@Coder100 Well, I mean like a product like a Mac, for example, which is proprietary, but the end product is publicly runnable/usable.
@alialiwa2005 well true, but you could just license your code
@Coder100 Yes, but what if people fork it?!?
I don't think I could enforce my license... and I don't think Repl will allow me to send takedown requests to forks.
@Coder100 I don't know what to do at this point... Repl makes it so easy to embed Python into HTML, and I haven't found any success with alternatives.
i mean then they would be breaking the license
and yes repl does actually allow it, that's what contact is for! read the tos! @alialiwa2005
@Coder100 Yeah, thanks!
Nice! Glad to help! @alialiwa2005
mostly you can just specify nobody can modify or redistribute. There really is no license @DillonB07
@DillonB07 Perhaps an All Rights Reserved license or custom license.
Remember that you can hide code using environment variables like custom scripts and api keys
@McJoe21
Environmental variables only work for the owner of the program.
So if I made a weather program that used an API Key hidden inside of a ENV, only I, the repl owner or other collaborators, can use that API key.
So its safer @DillonB07
But the point is that we want the public to use the code, but not see it @McJoe21