How does RSS-Bridge generate feeds for websites that don't have RSS?

Updated

RSS-Bridge is a PHP project that generates RSS and Atom feeds for websites that don't provide one. It works by fetching a page's HTML or JSON, extracting the parts you want, and repackaging them as a standard feed. You can use it on a web server or run it as a stand-alone application in CLI mode, and you can either use a public bridge instance or host your own.

What RSS-Bridge actually does

The core idea is simple: a website publishes content in HTML, but no feed. RSS-Bridge sits in the middle, requests that page, parses the markup, and outputs a feed document that any RSS reader can subscribe to.

Two consequences follow from this:

  • The target site does not need to support RSS, Atom, or any feed format.
  • The feed only contains what the bridge is written to extract, so quality depends on the specific bridge matching the site's current HTML.

The moving parts

Component Role
Bridge A PHP class that knows how to fetch and parse one site or one type of content
Web server or CLI The runtime that executes the bridge and returns the feed
Feed URL The address you paste into your RSS reader, typically including the bridge name and its parameters

A bridge is not a generic scraper you point at any URL. Each bridge targets a specific site or content pattern, which is why the project ships many of them and why a bridge can break when a site redesigns.

How a request flows

  1. Your RSS reader requests a feed URL from a bridge instance.
  2. RSS-Bridge selects the bridge named in that URL and passes along any parameters.
  3. The bridge fetches the target page or API response.
  4. It extracts the relevant items — titles, links, dates, content.
  5. RSS-Bridge renders those items as RSS or Atom and returns the document.
  6. Your reader displays the items like any other feed.

The expected result at the end is a normal feed URL that updates as the source page changes. The common failure point is step 4: if the site's HTML changes, the bridge's selectors may stop matching and the feed can come back empty or malformed.

Where you run it

RSS-Bridge can be used on webservers or as a stand-alone application in CLI mode. That gives you two practical paths:

  • Use a public bridge instance. The project lists a public bridge instance, so you can try generating a feed without installing anything. This is the fastest way to check whether a bridge exists for your site.
  • Host your own instance. Running it yourself on a web server gives you control over which bridges are enabled and avoids depending on someone else's uptime. CLI mode suits scheduled or scripted generation.

The project's Github repository and Documentation are the places to check for installation steps and the current list of bridges.

Deciding whether it fits

RSS-Bridge is a good fit when a site has content you want to follow but no native feed, and when a bridge already exists for it or you are willing to write one. It is a weaker fit when the site requires login, renders content only through heavy client-side JavaScript, or changes its markup often — in those cases expect more maintenance or no working bridge at all.

Before committing, check the Documentation for a bridge matching your target site, then test it against a public instance. If the feed returns items, self-hosting is mainly an uptime and control decision. If it returns nothing, the bridge likely needs updating or does not exist yet.