TinyURL
Encyclopedia
TinyURL is a URL shortening
service, a web service that provides short aliases for redirection of long URL
s. Kevin Gilbertson
, a web developer
, launched the service in January 2002 so that he would be able to link directly to newsgroup postings that frequently had long and cumbersome addresses.
database and returns a short URL such as
TinyURL has a downloadable browser toolbar. Also, TinyURL offers an API
that allows applications to automatically create short URLs. This is done by simply reading the result returned from
Short URL aliases are seen as useful because they are easier to write down, remember or pass around, are less error-prone to write, and also fit where space is limited such as IRC channel topics, email signatures, microblogs, certain printed newspapers (such as the .net Magazine
or even Nature
), and email clients that impose line breaks
on messages at a certain length. People posting on Twitter
make extensive use of shortened URLs to keep their tweets
within the service-imposed 140 character limit.
Starting in 2008, TinyURL allows users to create custom, more meaningful aliases. This means that a user can create descriptive URLs rather than a randomly generated address. For example,
Further, these services introduce a single point of failure where normal URLs do not (if TinyURL goes down, all redirects cease to work) that is potentially open to exploitation, from serving advertisements to directing users to malicious sites.
web sites of former U.S. Vice President
Dick Cheney
and former Second Lady
Lynne Cheney
, respectively. After the inauguration of Vice President Joe Biden
, the aliases were changed to redirect to the White House
web sites of Joe Biden and Jill Biden
.
Beginning on June 15, 2006, the aliases redirected to a preview page that contained the following disclaimer:
In February 2009, redirection was terminated and the following error message appeared:
URL shortening
URL shortening is a technique on the World Wide Web in which a Uniform Resource Locator may be made substantially shorter in length and still direct to the required page. This is achieved by using an HTTP Redirect on a domain name that is short, which links to the web page that has a long URL...
service, a web service that provides short aliases for redirection of long URL
Uniform Resource Locator
In computing, a uniform resource locator or universal resource locator is a specific character string that constitutes a reference to an Internet resource....
s. Kevin Gilbertson
Kevin Gilbertson
Kevin Gilbertson is a web developer best known as the creator of TinyURL launched in January 2002. TinyURL is a URL shortener, a web service that provides short aliases for redirection of long URLs....
, a web developer
Web developer
A web developer is a software developer or software engineer who specializes in, or is specifically engaged in, the development of World Wide Web applications, or distributed network applications that are run over HTTP from a web server to a web browser....
, launched the service in January 2002 so that he would be able to link directly to newsgroup postings that frequently had long and cumbersome addresses.
Service
The TinyURL homepage includes a form that's used to submit a long URL for shortening. For each URL entered, the server adds a new alias in its hashedHash table
In computer science, a hash table or hash map is a data structure that uses a hash function to map identifying values, known as keys , to their associated values . Thus, a hash table implements an associative array...
database and returns a short URL such as
http://tinyurl.com/2unsh in the following page. If the URL has already been requested, TinyURL will return the existing alias rather than create a duplicate entry. The short URL forwards users to the long URL.TinyURL has a downloadable browser toolbar. Also, TinyURL offers an API
Application programming interface
An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
that allows applications to automatically create short URLs. This is done by simply reading the result returned from
tinyurl.com/api-create.php?url=SOURCE_URL.Short URL aliases are seen as useful because they are easier to write down, remember or pass around, are less error-prone to write, and also fit where space is limited such as IRC channel topics, email signatures, microblogs, certain printed newspapers (such as the .net Magazine
.net (magazine)
.net is a monthly Internet magazine published in the UK by Future Publishing. Founded in 1994, .net magazine is published every four weeks . The magazine is aimed at professional and amateur web designers, and a significant proportion of its readers are full-time web developers. The front cover...
or even Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
), and email clients that impose line breaks
Newline
In computing, a newline, also known as a line break or end-of-line marker, is a special character or sequence of characters signifying the end of a line of text. The name comes from the fact that the next character after the newline will appear on a new line—that is, on the next line below the...
on messages at a certain length. People posting on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
make extensive use of shortened URLs to keep their tweets
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
within the service-imposed 140 character limit.
Starting in 2008, TinyURL allows users to create custom, more meaningful aliases. This means that a user can create descriptive URLs rather than a randomly generated address. For example,
http://tinyurl.com/wp-tinyurl.Criticism
Shortened URLs face the same issues all links do, such as linkrot, and additionally by often being harder to read (increasing the obscurity of the link).Further, these services introduce a single point of failure where normal URLs do not (if TinyURL goes down, all redirects cease to work) that is potentially open to exploitation, from serving advertisements to directing users to malicious sites.
Early abuses
Early on, the resulting URL aliases of the service were predictable, and were exploited by users to create vulgar associations. The URL aliases dick and cunt were made to redirect to the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
web sites of former U.S. Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
and former Second Lady
Second Lady of the United States
Second lady of the United States is an informal title for the wife of the vice president of the United States, coined in contrast to the first lady ....
Lynne Cheney
Lynne Cheney
Lynne Ann Cheney is the wife of former United States Vice President Dick Cheney and served as the Second Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009...
, respectively. After the inauguration of Vice President Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
, the aliases were changed to redirect to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
web sites of Joe Biden and Jill Biden
Jill Biden
Jill Tracy Biden is an American educator and, as the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, is the Second Lady of the United States....
.
Beginning on June 15, 2006, the aliases redirected to a preview page that contained the following disclaimer:
"This TinyURL was created by a user of our service back when the creation of the IDs for the TinyURL were sequential and predictable. This TinyURL in no way represents the beliefs of the people who bring you the TinyURL service and we apologize if this has brought offense to anyone."
In February 2009, redirection was terminated and the following error message appeared:
"The TinyURL you visited was used by its creator in violation of our terms of use. TinyURL has a strict no abuse policy and we apologize for the intrusion this user has caused you."