How Short Links Work

The Basic Idea

The visible link and the editable link do not always have to be the same thing. Sometimes we let a public-facing is.gd link be the thing somebody sees and clicks, but we place an editable short.io hop behind it. That way the public short link can stay the same while the destination can still be changed later by editing the short.io layer.

Why Use Short.io In The Middle

• The visible is.gd link can stay stable.
• The middle short.io layer can be edited later without replacing the public link.
• If the destination changes, usually only the short.io hop has to be updated.
• This is especially useful when a nice visible short code is worth preserving.

Where Da.gd Fits

da.gd is the usual fallback when an is.gd name is already taken or if we want a backup shortener available. A name that is unavailable on is.gd is often still available on da.gd.

The main limitation is that da.gd custom paths are limited to 10 characters. So it is good for compact fallback names, but not for long descriptive slugs.

How Bobby Can Make His Own

1. Pick the final destination first.
2. Decide whether the public-facing short code needs to stay stable long term.
3. If yes, create the editable middle hop in short.io first.
4. Create the public-facing is.gd link and point it to that short.io hop.
5. If the preferred is.gd code is taken, try the same idea on da.gd.
6. Keep the visible code short, readable, and worth preserving.
7. If the destination ever changes later, edit the short.io hop instead of replacing the public short link.

Recommended Patterns