You build websites. You pour hours into custom themes, tweak extensions, and optimize every line of code. But how do you prove it's yours? A footer credit? Too obvious. A hidden comment in the HTML? Clunky and easy to miss. Enter the generator meta tag. It's sitting there in the head of most Joomla pages, whispering the site's origin story to anyone who peeks at the source code. By default, it shouts "Joomla! 5.x.x" or whatever version you run. Useless for SEO, sure. But ripe for repurposing.
I started using it back in 2014. Slap a custom string like "built-by:richeyweb-2024" into that tag across my client projects. No design tweaks. No extra plugins bloating the load time. Just a quiet marker in the markup. When a potential client asks for references, I pull up the page, hit Ctrl+U, and search. Boom. Proof of work, invisible to the end user.
Today, I'm reminding everyone about a tool I first released over a decade ago: System - ByeByeGenerator. It's a free system plugin that strips the default generator tag clean or replaces it with your own tag. Download it, install in seconds, and tag your portfolio without touching a single template file.
Why Bother with a Generator Tag Signature?
In web dev, ownership matters. Clients forget. Freelancers move on. Years later, you need to showcase that e-commerce beast you built in 2014. Public portfolios help, but they clutter your site. Private trackers? Tedious to maintain.
The generator tag solves this neatly. Here's why it fits:
- Zero visual impact. Lives only in the HTML source. Users never see it.
- Crawler-proof. Search engines like Google ignore it entirely. No ranking hits, no indexing weirdness.
- Lightweight. A single meta line. No JavaScript, no CSS.
- Searchable. Grep your exports, bookmarklet a quick finder, or even Google works if the site's public.
Downsides? Minimal. It might tip off security scanners about your stack, but with a custom tag, that's irrelevant. And if you're paranoid, just remove it outright.
This trick scales. Tag client sites with "client:acme-corp-v2". Personal projects get "portfolio:richeyweb-experiment". One plugin, endless uses.
System - ByeByeGenerator: A Decade in the Wild
First released in 2014, ByeByeGenerator has been quietly doing its job on thousands of Joomla sites ever since. From 3.x through 6.x, it just works.
What it does
- Removes the generator tag by default (bye-bye, Joomla fingerprints).
- Optional: Injects a custom string you define.
- Works site-wide, no per-page fiddling.
- Joomla 3.x through 5.x compatible. PHP 8+ friendly.
Installation takes under a minute:
- Log into your Joomla admin.
- Extensions > Manage > Install.
- Upload the ZIP.
- Enable the plugin under System > ByeByeGenerator.
Configuration: Tailor It to Your Needs
Head to the plugin settings. There's only one configuration:
- Custom Generator: Type in whatever you'd like it to say, or leave it blank to remove the generator entirely.
Save, clear cache (System > Clear Cache), and test. View source on any page. Search for "generator". If you set a custom, it shows. Otherwise, gone.
Wrapping Up: Own Your Work, Silently
It occurred to me that I never shared this use-case. So I'm fixing that today.
Tagging via generator isn't flashy. No badges, no watermarks. Just smart, under-the-radar ownership. With System - ByeByeGenerator, a tool I first shipped in 2014 and still maintain today, Joomla folks get it free and fast.
Drop it on your sites. Tweak the string to fit your brand. If you build it into your workflow, you'll thank yourself at the next job pitch.
