Is it OK to delete LICENSE.txt, README.txt, robots.txt.dist?

[konczal]

Is it OK to delete these files from the Joomla! distribution from a live web site:

• LICENSE.txt
  README.txt
  robots.txt.dist
  web.config.txt

Our concern is that someone could deduce a web site is Joomla! through the existence of these files, and use that knowledge to try to exploit the site.

Thanks,
Eddie

[JoomIa-Shark]

I don't really bother too much with these files, but for the 'robots.txt.dist' file...

I'm pretty sure this is just an updated version of the default robots.txt file that comes with the update packages for Joomla, so it's fine to delete it.

Not sure about the rest, although I think that 'web.config.txt' is the equivalent of a .htaccess file but for Linux servers.

[konczal]

Additional: I did delete these files from a test site that was still running 3.3.6, then upgraded to 3.4.1. The files were reinstalled.

[JoomIa-Shark]

Yeah I would say it's fine. I've already mentioned two of the files in my first post, but for the other two:

LICENSE.txt
README.txt

These definitely don't affect how your website works.

If it worried you, just copy them to your desktop until you're happy that you don't need them.

[JAVesey]

I don't really bother too much with these files, but for the 'robots.txt.dist' file...

I'm pretty sure this is just an updated version of the default robots.txt file that comes with the update packages for Joomla, so it's fine to delete it.

This is important if you have updated to 3.4.0/3.4.1 from an earlier version. robots.txt controls what parts of your site search engine index bots are allowed to navigate.

You need to replace your existing robots.txt with one generated from the new robots.txt.dist file. Delete your existing robots.txt and then rename robots.txt.dist to robots.txt

robots.txt.dist will be uploaded again next time to update, e.g. to 3.4.2 when it is released, and you can safely delete the file then as it is unlikely to have changed.

[sovainfo]

Disagree with the advice of @JAVesey given above.

NEVER delete currently used files, always rename them. The files from the Joomla distribution are proposed templates that need to be merged into the original used files.
Which means you verify changes and agree with them for your site. Obviously, you need to document how you processed the proposed templates, in addition to the documentation for any other content, of course!

Recommend keeping the templates as files with the version in the name because updates overwrite them. When there are differences between the two you need to update!

[leolam]

It is perfectly ok to delete:
LICENSE.txt
README.txt
README.MD
web.config.txt

If you have a working robot.txt keep that and delete also the "robots.txt.dist"

(If you have an ISS-windows server based environment you need web.config.txt instead of htaccess.txt so keep that in mind)

Leo

edited based on Sovainfo comment below

[konczal]

Thanks for the response! This is very helpful.

[leolam]

You are welcome

Leo

[sovainfo]

Correction to the above:
robot.txt and web.config are two different things!

With Joomla there are three templates provided: robot.txt.dist, htaccess.txt and web.config.txt

See the post-installation notice about robot.txt and follow my advice or the notice. Both say the same thing: Review and apply when agree.

For apache there is htaccess.txt, for IIS there is web.config.txt. Same advice, review and apply when agree to .htaccess, web.config respectively.

Obviously, you NEED to merge with existing files!

[leolam]

Correction to the above:
robot.txt and web.config are two different things!

My bad and fully accepted you correction. Sometimes speed is not good...

I will change the post to avoid confusion. Thanks Marcel!

Leo