Work / 2026
Shorty
A link shortener where the redirect comes first: short links anyone can open, owned by the person who made them.
- Role
- Design, engineering
- Stack
- Next.js, Supabase, Postgres RLS, Tailwind CSS, Vercel
Problem
Long URLs, especially ones carrying UTM parameters, break across lines in chat, look untrustworthy in email, and are impossible to type from print.
I wanted the smallest shortener that is still useful: a short link anyone can open without an account, and a creator who stays in control of it after it has been shared.
Approach
Redirect first, record later. A short link answers with the redirect immediately; click tracking runs after the response, so measuring a visit never slows the visitor down.
Ownership lives in the database. Links are stored in Supabase Postgres behind Row Level Security, so only the creator can see or manage a link — enforced by the database, not just hidden in the UI.
Control applies on the next click. Each link gets a custom alias like /launch or a generated, easy-to-read code, plus an optional expiry date and a pause switch, all checked at redirect time. A missing or expired link lands on a clear “Link unavailable” page that says why, instead of a generic error.
Opening a link is open to everyone; only creating one needs an account. The interface ships in English and Chinese.
Result
Live on Vercel and free during the beta: paste a URL, optionally add a title and alias, and share the result in about ten seconds.
Each link has a small dashboard with total clicks, the top country, and a 14-day click chart — enough to know a link is working, nothing more complicated.