Short URL
Frequently asked questions
What is URL?
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is basically the address to a web page.
Read more on Wikipedia.
Why would I need a shorter URL?
Some services allows only a certain amount of text. By using a shorter URL you can write more actual content. A short URL is also useful when sending links via mail, because long URLs might be displayed on multiple rows and thus become broken. It's also easier to send a short URL via SMS instead of having to write the whole long URL.
How do I use this service?
1. Paste your long URL into the field on the main page, and click "Create"
2. Share the generated URL to others via email/message/post/sms.
See also the information about the bookmarklet and the browser search box for alternative ways of using this service.
How long do links I create last?
Forever as long as they're in accordance with our Terms & Conditions.
It told me that I cannot add new URLs from my IP
Because of abuse this service can now be used only from Finland.
What's with the weird image beside my generated URL?
The image, like the one to the right which is a shortcut to this site, is a QR code (Quick Response code). Point your phone's camera (requires software thats supports this) at the image to have the phone navigate to your generated URL. You could place the QR code in a magazine or on a business card.
Read more about QR codes on Wikipedia.
Where can I find software that supports QR codes?
If you don't already have a decoder preinstalled on your device, download one of the following.
QuickMark Barcode Reader is available for most devices. The free version doesn't read events, but it works fine with URLs and meCards (like vCard).
Kaywa Reader is also available for most devices (download requires registration, but not if you enter the site with a mobile device). The page recognizes if you enter it with your mobile device and gives you directly a download link. This makes the download and installation much easier!
For Android users there´s also Barcode Scanner app from ZXing. They also have a Barcode Reader for J2ME. Navigate to this address in your phone's browser: zxing.org/w
Semacode has a QR code reader for iPhone.
Google Goggles can also recognize QR codes.
Navigate to uscn.me/app for a great list of barcode scanning applications for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian (Nokia), Palm WebOS, Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile and JAVA phones J2ME.
Can I change the generated URL?
You can't. You will have to accept the randomly generated one.
What kind of URL can I shorten?
Basically any URL that doesn't conflict with our Terms & Conditions.
Don't add any personal URLs that you don't want anybody else to see. Keep in mind that everybody can access the short URLs.
Can I shorten non-web URLs like ftp://?
Yes. You can shorten URLs of the following protocols: http, https and ftp.
How do I access statistics for a short URL?
Add /stats to the short URL.
What kind of information do you collect?
When a URL is shortened we store the users IP address in case of abuse. Every now and then we check inserted links and if a link is accepted according to our terms, we remove the IP address. We don't want to fill our database with them. The IP addresses are never displayed for others or shared with third parties.
We collect amount of clicks and referrers for the short URLs. IP addresses are not stored when a short URL is used. Referrer information is stored for at least 2 weeks.
Is there a bookmarklet?
How does the bookmarklet work?
When you are on a webpage with a long URL, click on the bookmarklet and it will give you the short URL for that page.
Why doesn't the bookmarklet have a favicon?
Because the link is javascript and does not point to a website with a favicon.
There is a addon for Firefox which allows you to specify favicons even for bookmarklets.
Can I use this from my browser's search box?
It will not search for short URLs. If you add a long URL to the search box, then we will give you a shorter URL for it.
Is there a API?
Yes. Read more on the API page.
Are there any limits?
Yes. You may only add 20 new URLs per day and fetch statistics via API 500 times per day. This might be updated every now and then.
How much does this cost?
Nothing for you. We pay for hosting etc.
Do you make any money with it?
No. This is mostly for our personal use, but others can use it aswell. For free! We don't want any donations. Thanks for offering though.
Any popups, ads or spyware?
Sorry, we don't have those here. You need to find them on some other site.
Who's behind this?
Only me, Kenda. I might ask for help from some friend in the future, but so far I've managed to do everything on my own.
Why did you decide to create this?
There are a lot of similar services. I wanted to know how they work. When I noticed how easy it is I made my own. The first version was ready in 2008, but I never put it online. In 2009 I branded it for the company I work at. People started using it and I got some feedback. Based on that I built a new and better one. It took a couple of evenings. Writing all these texts took a lot more than it took to build the actual service.