Ask HN: I'm building another URL shortener and would like your opinions
I know there are plenty of URL shorteners out there, but I believe I can create another one that will still be great. Instead of simply saying, "it's already done," could you share features that current URL shorteners don't provide? Or any suggestions to improve it or at least avoid making it worse? Thanks. What reasons do you have that your new one will still be great? Please share those, because otherwise it does sound like 'just another'. You seem to be asking for suggestions for differentiation, but I'm curious, what makes you think it already can and will be different? Thank you for your questions. First of all I know I'm getting into Red Ocean but by building better(!) product I get still get a piece. So how is it better? Here is some features that I can differentiate:
- Conditional Redirecting: Based on location, time, browser, device, etc. (POC State: successful)
- Customizable/Monetizable Redirection pages: User can add a middle page before redirecting. (POC State: Waiting)
- Protected Links: Secure links with password protection, IP filtering, or location restrictions. (POC State: successful)
- Proxied Links: Hide the original address and only display the content. (POC State: Waiting)
- Hosted Files: Hosted small documents to make it downloadable. (POC State: Not-required) Besides all I can built more cheaper product for more features or usage limits. These are just the tip of the iceberg. I want to build a more extensive tool focused on link building, not just shortening links. These are just my ideas. I want to hear more from potential users. So I posted here. (Sorry for the late reply. HN limits comments too much). These are actually very interesting. I had not thought there was much opportunity for anything new in that space, but I was clearly wrong! Another commenter noted 'longevity'. Link rot is a real problem online and yes, ensuring that they will keep working even if the company behind them folds is critical. Hopefully a product like this is cheap in terms of bandwidth and could be set up with a decade or two of server usage purchased, and just keep running? One idea: custom link names. I think bitly already partially does this, but try selling subdomains, eg abc.your-shortener.com, where someone buys 'abc' from you. Then, the trailing shortname can be completely customised because there cannot be overlaps with other users of the service. Longevity. Some way to guarantee those links will still work a decade from now, even if you decide to give up on the project next month or sell it five years from now. Thank you for your suggestion. I'll consider how I can achieve that.