Why doesn't a short link redirect straight away?

Because that hides where the link takes you, which is precisely the effect a phishing link needs. We have no reputation database to judge whether a destination is malicious, so we use the most direct alternative: show the full URL and let you decide.

Can a short link be permanent?

No — 365 days at most. Short links routinely outlive the content they point at, and once the original is gone or the domain changes hands, the link circulating out there points somewhere nobody controls. A forced expiry puts a time limit on that risk.

What if someone abuses a link?

Use the report button on the preview page. Three reports disable the link automatically, and anyone opening it afterwards sees a disabled notice. Disabling is permanent, and the identifier is never reassigned.

URL TOOLS · PERFORMED BY OUR SERVER

Short URL Generator

Shorten a long URL into a shareable link with an expiry date and an abuse reporting route.

Opening this short link shows the full destination first and lets the visitor confirm before continuing.

About this tool

Paste a long URL and choose how long it should live. This tool deliberately differs from most shorteners in two ways, both for safety. First, links always expire. A short link's real problem is that it outlives what it points at: after a service shuts down, content is removed, or a domain changes hands, the link is still circulating. A forced expiry puts a boundary on that. Second, opening a short link shows the full destination and asks the visitor to confirm. Hiding the destination is what a shortener does, and hiding the destination is exactly what phishing wants; with no reputation database to judge a destination, showing it plainly is the only mitigation that actually addresses the risk. If you need a silent redirect that hides where the link goes, this is not the right tool.

How it works

Paste the URL to shorten and choose a lifetime.
Copy the short link that is generated.
Report it through the preview page if it should be taken down.

Limits and rules

Every short link expires — 30 days by default, 365 at most; permanent links are not offered. Identifiers come from a cryptographic random source and cannot be guessed or enumerated. Opening a short link shows the full destination first and lets the visitor decide, rather than redirecting straight through. Anyone can report a link, and three reports disable it automatically.

How your input is handled

The URL you enter is sent to our server. Redirect checks are performed by an isolated process; nothing you submit is stored or written to an analytics event, and no cookies or authorization headers are forwarded. Creating a short link does store the destination in a database — that is what the feature requires — along with an irreversible hash of the creator's address used for rate limiting and abuse investigation. The address itself is not stored, and individual visits are not recorded.

Frequently asked questions

Why doesn't a short link redirect straight away?: Because that hides where the link takes you, which is precisely the effect a phishing link needs. We have no reputation database to judge whether a destination is malicious, so we use the most direct alternative: show the full URL and let you decide.
Can a short link be permanent?: No — 365 days at most. Short links routinely outlive the content they point at, and once the original is gone or the domain changes hands, the link circulating out there points somewhere nobody controls. A forced expiry puts a time limit on that risk.
What if someone abuses a link?: Use the report button on the preview page. Three reports disable the link automatically, and anyone opening it afterwards sees a disabled notice. Disabling is permanent, and the identifier is never reassigned.

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