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Frequently Asked Questions!

On this page we'll attempt to answer the most frequently asked questions, with a mix of general and technical answers. If there's a question that you think should be answered here then feel free to contact us!

What is the purpose of PhilTools?
PhilTools was previously PhilProxy, a Philippine web proxy. It was decided to seperate the proxy from the tools, hence PhilTools. The proxy allows you to access websites which are usually blocked. For example, if your office blocks access to Facebook, you can still access it through PhilProxy.com. The tools are mostly for fun; free image hosting, image steganography etc.

Where is PhilTools Based?
PhilTools is hosted in the Philippines (Pasig) at the ePLDT Vitro datacenter.

Why host the site in the Philippines?
The Philippines has a great internal internet infrastructure with modern fibre optic lines running throughout the country. However, there are not many lines connecting the Philippines to the rest of the world which means accessing sites hosted in the United States and Europe can be a little slower. Since PhilTools is primarily for use by those within the Philippines, it makes sense to host it there to ensure the quickest experience for those users.

Has anything been done to speed up the site?
  • Lossless image compression
    • All images on the site have been put through Yahoo!'s Smush.it service. Smush.it optimises the image using lossless techniques, lowering the file size while ensuring the appearance and quality of the image remains unchanged.
  • CSS Sprites
    • When you visit a page with images, your browser will make a new connection to download each image. Each of these connections has a slight overhead and some browsers even limit how many connections can be made to a single site at the same time. To combat this problem, PhilTools uses css sprites. Instead of having multiple smaller images, the most commonly used images on the site are compiled into one larger optimised image. Your browser only needs to download and cache this single image.
  • Single CSS Stylesheet
    • Each tool on PhilTools requires its own CSS code. Rather than having multiple stylesheets or including the CSS code directly in the pages source, all the code is compiled into a single stylesheet. This means your browser only needs to make a request for a single CSS file.


What's with the logo?
The logo was created specifically for PhilTools and is based on the flag of the Philippines. If you think you can create a better logo, feel free to email us with a copy of your creation for review!