Broken and "Failed to load board configuration. Connection Error"

[ProfessorInternet]

Hi, today when I tried to load any thread from any board or the main site everything is broken and white and I get this message at the top of the page "Failed to load board configuration. Connection Error"

Now I tried some fixes and none of them worked so I tried uninstalling whatever ad blocker I had, greasemonkey and same thing

Okay then that was on firefox so I tried with just the internet explorer, same thing

So I want to know what is this? Is this some new kind of ramsomware malware virus thing? Don't be fooled by my nickname I actually have no idea how internet works

[ccd0]

What happens if you try to visit https://a.4cdn.org/boards.json directly?

[ProfessorInternet]

It shows this https://imgur.com/a/45A66 Is that how is it supposed to work?

btw Merry Christmas!

[ccd0]

Yes, that's how it should look. Are you still getting the message? This could just be a connection error, like the message said.

Merry Christmas to you too!

[ccd0]

If you're still having the problem, try temporarily disabling all other extensions and userscripts so if you can see if one of them is causing a conflict.

[ProfessorInternet]

Yes I am still getting it, I only have adblocker ultimate tried disabling it and nope same thing.

[ccd0]

What version of Firefox? What userscript manager and what version?

Does it happen in a fresh profile?
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles

[ProfessorInternet]

Yes it also happened on a new profile

Firefox quantum 57.0.2
Greasemonkey 4.1

[impman]

This is also occurring to me, with auto-update broken as well. Tested on a new profile with zero other addons or userscripts, still occurs. Tried both Greasemonkey and Violentmonkey (in isolation), both give the same issues.

Firefox 57.0.2
Greasemonkey 4.1
Violentmonkey 2.8.23

Edit: Also broken in Chrome, 63.0.3239.132
Tampermonkey 4.5

[vandr0iy]

idem for me
Firefox 57.0.4
Greasemonkey 4.1

[ProfessorInternet]

It may be related but when I press f12 and go to the console I get these messages
Loading failed for the <script> with source “https://utraffic.engine.adglare.net/?653284199”.
Cross-Origin Request Blocked: The Same Origin Policy disallows reading the remote resource at https://a.4cdn.org/a/threads.json. (Reason: CORS header ‘Access-Control-Allow-Origin’ missing).
Cross-Origin Request Blocked: The Same Origin Policy disallows reading the remote resource at https://a.4cdn.org/a/thread/166999150.json. (Reason: CORS header ‘Access-Control-Allow-Origin’ missing).

[Regaccio]

Having same problem. "Failed to load board configuration. Connection error." will pop up, and in console it will throw CORS errors.

"4chan X failed to load: https://a.4cdn.org/his/threads.json"  4chan-X-beta.user.js:4534:20

"4chan X failed to load: https://a.4cdn.org/his/thread/3972307.json" 4chan-X-beta.user.js:4534:20

Cross-Origin Request Blocked: The Same Origin Policy disallows reading the remote resource at https://a.4cdn.org/his/thread/3972307.json. (Reason: CORS header ‘Access-Control-Allow-Origin’ missing).

Firefox 56.0.2
Greasemonkey 3.17

Entering the JSON URLs directly loads them fine.

[ProfessorInternet]

Well guys at least I'm glad we're all in this together

Group hug

[builderheg]

Is the native extension also broken for you guys? I have this problem too, and not even the native extension is working properly. I'm on Firefox 57.0.4 with Violentmonkey

[Regaccio]

Native extension also throws the same error. A lot more of its functionality appears to work but if you open the console you'll notice the same CORS errors popping up whenever a thread attempts to auto-update, as well as a few others.

Example:

ThreadStats: couldn't get the catalog (0)
Cross-Origin Request Blocked: The Same Origin Policy disallows reading the remote resource at https://a.4cdn.org/his/threads.json. (Reason: CORS header ‘Access-Control-Allow-Origin’ missing).
OPTIONS XHR https://a.4cdn.org/his/thread/3998651.json [HTTP/2.0 503 Service Unavailable 20ms]
Cross-Origin Request Blocked: The Same Origin Policy disallows reading the remote resource at https://a.4cdn.org/his/thread/3998651.json. (Reason: CORS header ‘Access-Control-Allow-Origin’ missing).

Using a browser extension, I was actually able to manually alter the response headers to include Access-Control-Allow-Origin https://boards.4chan.org but it didn't matter, even after doing that I just got the same error (Cross-Origin Request Blocked) with a different Reason, CORS Preflight Channel Failed.

I noticed that a few times since this started happening, a "browser integrity check" page has popped up on the site, one of those CloudFlare things basically to make sure you're not a bot, maybe this bug has something to do with a recent CloudFlare change?

[impman]

Yes, native extension also does not autoupdate. CSS is broken on page listing unless you open an image to trigger the CloudFlare bot checker, after which CSS will work, but autoupdate still will not.

[deadman3000]

I found the fix for me. uMatrix is setup to help get rid of unwanted crap. I had to check XHR (make green not red) for a.4dn.org and it all seems to be working correctly now.

[asdasdasdasd27]

Same problem here, I've had it for a month I think. CSS is broken until I load an image somehow but the autoupdate is broken forever like impman said. After that I can browse 4chan normally but I have to refresh the page to update. This problem ONLY happens if I use my house's internet and everything works normal if I share internet from my phone to my PC which is weird.
This is beyond 4chan X though since it also happens in the native extension AND the mobile app Clover, so it's happening on our end. I hope it doesn't hurt anybody if we discuss it here to find a solution. I also had uMatrix but removing it did nothing.

[ProfessorInternet]

uMatrix didn't work for me either

Maybe it's time to say goodbye to 4chan after all

[builderheg]

It works for me now, for some reason. I still get this error:
Content Security Policy: The page’s settings blocked the loading of a resource at https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js (“script-src http://s.4cdn.org https://s.4cdn.org http://www.google.com https://www.google.com https://www.gstatic.com http://cdn.mathjax.org https://cdn.mathjax.org https://boards.4chan.org 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval' https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com”).

But it doesn't seem to affect anything. And this happened on its own, overnight, so I'm not sure what changed. Is it working for anyone else now?

[ProfessorInternet]

No

;_;

[Regaccio]

If CSS, images etc. to be broken for you, type 4cdn.org into the URL bar and visit it directly. CloudFlare wants to make sure you're not a bot for some reason and only actually gives your browser the test if you visit that domain directly. Once it makes sure you're not a bot, go back and reload whatever page was broken, and assets from 4cdn.org should load... Unless they're the .json files which are the subject of this issue, in which case they still fail to load because of the Cross-Origin Request error. But at least the site returns to being only half-broken.

[builderheg]

Aaand it's broken again. It just randomly broke out of nowhere, just like last time. It was nice having it work while it lasted.

Before the problem briefly fixed itself, I did report the it through 4chan's feedback form, but it looks like that form hasn't been used in years so I didn't really place any hope in it. That's really the only idea I have left, to try to contact a 4chan dev or something.

[ccd0]

@builderheg
Did you try what @AnonymousRequestee suggested?
What happens if you visit these?
https://a.4cdn.org/ping.js
https://s.4cdn.org/ping.js
https://sys.4chan.org/ping.js

[builderheg]

Yeah, the CSS broke right away and visiting 4cdn.org fixed it, but that's the only thing it fixed.

Visiting those links gives just gives me pages that say, "fourchan_up('api');", "fourchan_up('static');
", and "fourchan_up('sys');", is that what I'm supposed to see?

[ccd0]

Yes. What errors are you getting right now?
Does visiting
https://a.4cdn.org/boards.json
give you the expected results?

[builderheg]

In a thread, I'm getting a board configuration error, and in the console, this:
Cross-Origin Request Blocked: The Same Origin Policy disallows reading the remote resource at https://a.4cdn.org/k/thread/36622848.json. (Reason: CORS header ‘Access-Control-Allow-Origin’ missing). 4chan X failed to load: https://a.4cdn.org/k/thread/36622848.json

I also get this on the index: Loading failed for the <script> with source “https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js”.

Also on the index, with JSON index turned off in settings:
Cross-Origin Request Blocked: The Same Origin Policy disallows reading the remote resource at https://a.4cdn.org/co/threads.json. (Reason: CORS header ‘Access-Control-Allow-Origin’ missing). Content Security Policy: The page’s settings blocked the loading of a resource at https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js (“script-src http://s.4cdn.org https://s.4cdn.org http://www.google.com https://www.google.com https://www.gstatic.com http://cdn.mathjax.org https://cdn.mathjax.org https://boards.4chan.org 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval' https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com”).

Visiting the link shows the same thing as what's in the screencap from OP, so that looks right.

[ccd0]

Can you try this?

1. clear your cache
2. open https://boards.4chan.org/k/thread/36622848
3. open dev tools (F12)
4. go to console tab and paste
   x=new XMLHttpRequest(); x.open('GET','https://a.4cdn.org/k/thread/36622848.json'); x.send();
5. go to network tab, select 36622848.json entry and headers tab on right
6. maximize and screenshot

[builderheg]

https://i.imgur.com/Mt7BebQ.png

[impman]

In case you need a second data point:

[deadman3000]

Is there any way to get rid of the brown box saying 'image corrupted' when I drag it into the reply box?

[ccd0]

If you're having this problem, let me know if the most recent beta version (v1.14.0.8) helps. You will still need to open an image in a new tab at least once to trigger the bot checker.

[ccd0]

Never mind, v1.14.0.8 seems to have broken requests for everyone on Firefox. Reverting.

[ProfessorInternet]

Well either he fixed it, or 4chanx fixed it, or it fixed itself or I fixed it but the bottom line is it is fixed, I can view the mainboard, I can post, I can view pics, the captcha works, everything works

Oh man I'm so happy I thought I would never browse 4chan again and I would have to get a job and a wife or something I'm sure thish high will end in a day or less but until then

I hope this never happens again and that everybody's problems get solved out too

[lc-guy]

Yeah no, nothing at all fixed for me. Still can't access catalog or refresh in threads, even with the native extension when it comes to the latter.

[xXFoXbAgXx]

Still completely broken for me, no catalog or refreshing threads

[unknown--]

A temporary fix is to obtain an new IP and limit your thread updater to 20 seconds. You might need to increase it even more if you tend to have many threads open.

[xXFoXbAgXx]

Doesn't actually fix anything for me, still have a connection error on the thread updater with it set at 65 seconds, plus the catalog still not working

[unknown--]

Even with a new IP?

[xXFoXbAgXx]

yeah, I'm forced to reload the whole page to update threads now at this point, and catalog only works if i turn off 4chan X

[xXFoXbAgXx]

Hmm, it works fine if i use mobile data however

[riesza]

Yeah it's definitely some IP shit. I can't even phonepost until I cycle my IP. I wouldn't be surprised if Hiro found a way to soft ban people who send too many refresh requests in a given time.

[xXFoXbAgXx]

It's gotta be more than that, because as soon as i disable 4chan X, everything works like normal

[unknown--]

Because 4chan-x makes API requests which are denied if your IP is banned. It's different if you use the native catalog/site.

[xXFoXbAgXx]

oh well, I'm not exactly good with code to be frank, any possible time frame when this will be fixed, if it even can be?

[abbacus86]

Same issue, used aggressive updating of every 5 seconds for years prior to this. I have to manually refresh pages for updates, still using static IP and haven't tried rotating. Chrome and Firefox both have this issue, No images load and broken CSS until I manually open an img link and am subjected to cloudflare bot detection (multiple times a day it seems). Surprised there aren't more people presenting with this issue.

[Teapsalm]

I'm having the same issue. Always keep 4chanx updated. Disabling 4chan x and OneeChan both seem to leave the site not functioning properly for me, so I have to assume there's something wrong on the site's end.

[randoomdude]

It's hillarious because for a brief second you can see the site load the threads normally, then they all disappear, so close yet so far.
https://a.doko.moe/pnabtu.webm

[randoomdude]

Alright, seems to be fixed if I get rid of the violent monkey script and just install it through chrome extension, using version 1.13.15.9 from the store, I tried installing from the site but chrome said it was corrupt and wouldn't run it.

[whoknows22]

It seems to have fixed itself for me, although that might be because I spent most of today without any threads open so there was no auto-refreshing going on.

[IztacXochitl]

1.13.15.9 has worked for a while on chrome (I assume this is because it shows up as carrying the cf_clearance cookie unlike on firefox). Current version just started working again on firefox though, so let's see how long it lasts.

[DocHobo]

yeah it's working fine for me on firefox now, who knows for how long though

[muffled357]

Finally started working for me out of the blue. Hopefully it stays that way.

[impman]

Only works on Wi-Fi for me, which probably means I have to cycle the router.

[asdasdasdasd27]

Fixed for me too. Thanks ccd0 for helping even though it wasn't 4chan X.

[Regaccio]

@ccd0
It seems as though this issue has returned. I'm getting 503 and CORS errors again when using 4chan X, but opening the .json URLs directly loads them just fine. CSS is also broken until I visit 4cdn.org directly and it checks my browser.

When trying to load the catalog:

GET XHR https://a.4cdn.org/g/threads.json [HTTP/2.0 503 Service Unavailable 43ms]
"4chan X failed to load: https://a.4cdn.org/g/threads.json"

When trying to load a thread:

GET XHR https://a.4cdn.org/g/thread/65634180.json [HTTP/2.0 503 Service Unavailable 32ms]
"4chan X failed to load: https://a.4cdn.org/g/thread/65634180.json"  4chan-X-beta.user.js:4545:20
Cross-Origin Request Blocked: The Same Origin Policy disallows reading the remote resource at https://a.4cdn.org/g/thread/65634180.json. (Reason: CORS header ‘Access-Control-Allow-Origin’ missing).

I guess this is the same issue as 4chan/4chan-API#57

[Regaccio]

Never mind, desuwa explained the problem. Turns out having the thread updater set to 1 second can potentially cause problems related to sending too many requests. Once I set it to ten seconds the issue went away a few hours later. Just writing this in case anyone else has the same problem in the future.

[ghost]

Trying to set the thread updater time, but the CSS is so broken it doesn't even show it. What can I do?