

Ask HN: Review a simple URL un-shortening service. - clear
http://unshort.me

======
axod
I'm at a loss to understand why someone needs an API to unshorten a url. Can
they not just unshorten it themselves?

What's next? A webservice API for doing DNS lookups?

~~~
Anon84
I can see several reasons for this:

1 - Build a database of short to unshortened URLs as a backup in case that one
of the shortening services goes under.

2 - Such a service can be useful for anyone who wants to know where the URL
points to without clicking it (or without the skills to unshorten it
themselves).

3 - It could allow for batch unshortening

4 - A database can still unshorten URLs that no longer exist etc..

~~~
sundarurfriend
> for [anyone] without the skills to unshorten it themselves

I think I'm one, because I don't know of any way to unshorten these tiny URLs
without visiting them or using some such service.

If you know of one, could you enlighten me? Thanks...

~~~
Anon84
It's really not hard. For example, on the command line:

    
    
         $ curl -I http://tinyurl.com/9a4xj6
         HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
         X-Powered-By: PHP/5.2.8
         Location: http://www.hostingcoupons.org/godaddy-coupons/
         Content-type: text/html
         Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:26:48 GMT
         Server: TinyURL/1.6
    

or in Python:

    
    
         >>> import urllib
         >>> u=urllib.urlopen("http://tinyurl.com/9a4xj6")
         >>> u.url
         'http://www.hostingcoupons.org/godaddy-coupons/'
         >>> 
    

etc...

------
Tichy
I like the way of the tinyURL API better - you simply get the new URL in the
body of the response. Otherwise, I am not sure it is easier to parse the XML
response from unshort.me than to simply resolve the redirections directly.

~~~
nir
Er, my URL-unshortening service just returns the URL ;)
<http://therealurl.appspot.com/>

There are some possible uses for such a service, I think. For example if you
want to get this functionality via JavaScript (eg JSONP), or perhaps you just
don't want to bother with HTTP.

(unshort.me, I hope you don't mind me plugging it here - if you do, let me
know (email's in the profile) and I'll delete this comment. Looks like we're
about to have as many unshortening sites as shortening ones, at this rate :)

------
clear
This is simple service that let you un-shorten URLs created using any of the
URL shortening services.

I thought it might be useful to create a single place to un-shorten URLs. I
know some of you are tired of hearing about another URL service, but it works
with all of the shortening websites such as TinyURL, bit.ly, tr.im, even with
Hapylink and others.

~~~
j2d2
What made you decide to solve this problem? Did you encounter issues that this
solved?

~~~
zavulon
Personally, I see value in it.

If I get a shortened URL link from someone, and I'm at work, I would like to
go to that site and see what that TinyURL really is before following the link

~~~
wlievens
It would work great with a firefox/whatever plugin that would show you this
link as a tooltip, avoiding the copypaste grind

------
lunarhalo
For those who want to the original url before clicking a tiny url, you can use
Untiny (<http://untiny.me> ) Firefox addon (UntinyFox)
<https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10181>

(or check in <http://untiny.me/extra/> )

------
lunarhalo
I developed <http://untiny.me> for one reason, some tiny services (e.g.
<http://tinyurl.com> ) is blocked in my country for no reason ... and may some
others are blocked in others countries too...

------
barredo
It aint better to check the http header? It's fastest than a full api request
(even for a light one like this)

