Hey everybody, and welcome to another Deep Dive with us.
Today we're looking at Cut.it.
Cut.it.
Which is a free and open source URL shortener.
Very cool.
We've got some excerpts from their website.
Okay.
And we've got a peek at their GitHub project as well.
Awesome.
To kind of guide us through this.
All right.
Oh, and before we forget,
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But getting back to Cut.it.
Okay.
What about this URL shortener particularly stood out to you?
You know, one of the first things I noticed
was just their focus on privacy and control.
Oh, I.
You know, with commercial URL shorteners,
you're kind of just trusting a third party
with all your data.
Yeah, that'd be good.
But with Cut.it being open source,
really addresses this concern head on.
Yeah, that's a really good point.
Yeah.
A lot of us, I think, use URL shorteners,
and we don't really think about where that data goes.
Right.
So could you explain what being open source means
in a practical way for someone using Cut.it?
So in practical terms,
it just means transparency and flexibility.
Okay.
The entire code base is public on GitHub,
so anyone can look at it, see how it works,
and even contribute.
So theoretically, I could set up my own version of this
on my own server.
Absolutely, that's the beauty of self-hosting.
You have complete control over your data,
and you're not relying on someone else.
But wouldn't that require a lot of technical know-how?
You know, it might sound daunting,
but the developers have made this process
pretty user-friendly.
Their documentation is really straightforward.
And if you want to go the easier route,
you can always just use the hosted version.
Right, that makes sense.
That's good, they provide both options.
They list a bunch of features on their website.
They do.
Custom domains, detailed statistics, API access,
a lot of stuff that you usually have to pay for.
With other URL shorteners, were there
any features that stood out to you in particular?
Honestly, the level of customization
was really impressive.
From the website, we see custom domains,
which is really good for branding.
But then looking at the GitHub repository,
there's really granular control, too.
For example, you can actually customize the length
of your shortened URLs.
And even the characters that are used to generate them.
They even allow special characters.
So you could have a shortened URL that's made up of all emojis.
Exactly.
That's awesome.
I don't know how practical it would be, but that option
is there.
That's so cool.
Yeah.
OK, so we talked about self-hosting earlier.
But I want to dig a little deeper into that.
On their website, they say they support multiple database
options.
Can you explain why that's a good thing?
Well, different databases have different strengths.
Some are better for large amounts of data.
Some are faster.
Some are easier to use.
So by supporting Squallight Postgres and MySchool,
it lets people choose what works best for them.
So if I'm a beginner, I could choose Squallight.
Exactly.
But if I'm running some huge website with tons of traffic,
I could go with something more robust like Postgres.
Precisely, and they even incorporate Redis for caching
for people who are concerned about performance.
Now, you said caching a couple times now.
I have.
For those of us who aren't database experts,
could you explain what caching is and why it's important?
Imagine you're running a library.
And every time someone wants to borrow a popular book,
you have to go into the stacks and retrieve it.
Caching is like having a little shelf at the front desk
where you keep extra copies of those popular books,
so you don't have to go back into the stacks all the time.
I got it.
It makes things much faster.
So Redis is like that shelf by the front desk,
holding the most popular shortened URLs.
That's a great analogy.
OK, cool.
So it's preventing the system from having
to go back to the main database every time someone
clicks a link.
Exactly.
It improves performance a lot, especially
when you have a lot of traffic.
OK, so we've got this flexibility
in choosing the database.
We've got Redis speeding things up.
Yes.
I'm starting to see how this is designed
to scale and adapt to different needs.
Yeah.
But before we move on, I want to highlight something
else that caught my eye.
OK.
The themes and customization section on their GitHub.
OK.
What kind of customization are we talking about here?
So this is where they go beyond functionality into aesthetics.
OK.
You can actually change the look and feel of it
with custom CSS images, even HTML.
Pretty cool.
So they're giving you the building blocks
to kind of make your own version of cut on it.
You can match it to your website's branding
or just do whatever you want.
That's right.
That's really cool.
It is.
And that level of customization is not
something you see very often in a URL shortener.
Right.
Yeah.
It's awesome how much we found just
by looking at the website and the GitHub.
For sure.
This is shaping up to be a very interesting deep dive.
I agree.
And we haven't even talked about the browser extensions.
Oh, yeah.
Or the API.
There's a lot to get to.
There is a lot more to explore.
OK.
Yeah.
It really is remarkable how much they pack
into a free open source package.
Yeah.
Speaking of those browser extensions,
I think it's time we dive into how those simplify
the URL shortening process.
OK, let's do that.
I'm curious to know how they integrate
with the cut dotted experience.
Are they just like a shortcut to the website or?
They offer a much more streamlined experience.
So the extensions are available for Chrome and Firefox.
And they allow you to shorten URLs directly
from your browser.
So I don't have to copy and paste?
Nope, no need to copy and paste.
You can shorten it with a few clicks
right from the page you're on.
So if I'm reading an article I want to share,
I can just create the shortened link right there.
Exactly.
From the article.
It simplifies the entire workflow.
Cool.
And it goes beyond basic shortening, too.
Oh, really?
You can customize your shortened URLs, set expiration dates.
Wow.
Even password protect them all within your browser.
That's a lot more than I was expecting from a browser
extension.
Yeah.
It sounds like they've really thought about making this
as convenient as possible.
For sure, they've put a lot of effort into the user experience.
Speaking of powerful, we haven't even touched on the API yet.
OK, I got to admit, API always makes me a little nervous.
That sounds technical.
So break it down for me.
What exactly is an API?
So think of an API as a set of instructions
that allows different software applications
to talk to each other.
So the cut.it API lets you control cut.it
from external programs or scripts.
You can create shortened URLs, get statistics,
manage your links.
So I could write a program that automatically
shortens links for me.
Exactly.
Or maybe connect it to my social media.
Yeah, you could connect it to your social media.
And have it shorten links when I schedule posts.
Exactly.
The possibilities are vast.
Wow.
You can integrate cut.it into your workflow in tons of ways.
That's really cool.
Yeah.
I'm starting to see the power of the API now.
Yeah.
It opens up cut.it to a whole world of automation.
It does.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
The real magic happens when you combine the API
with the open source nature and its community of contributors.
You've mentioned community a few times now.
What role does the community play in cut.it's development?
So the community is really the lifeblood of cut.it.
Being open source means that anyone
can contribute code report bugs, suggest features.
It's a really collaborative effort.
OK.
Yeah, driven by people who really believe in cut.it's
mission.
So it's more than just a piece of software.
It is.
Like a community driven project.
It is.
That's pretty cool.
Yeah.
And you can see those contributions
in the integrations section on the website.
Oh yeah, we talked about that briefly.
Yeah.
You'll find all kinds of third party packages and tools.
What are some of the most interesting integrations
that you've seen?
So there are integrations for everything.
From screenshot sharing tools like Sharex
to workflow automation platforms like Alfred.
You can even find packages for various programming languages.
Wow.
Yeah.
So developers can easily incorporate
cut data into their projects.
So it sounds like it's become kind
of a cornerstone of a bigger ecosystem.
That's exactly right.
Wow.
It's really a testament to open source
and the collaborative spirit of the community.
That's pretty awesome.
Yeah.
They've created a really remarkable platform.
It's incredible to see how it's evolved
from just a simple URL shortener into this versatile
and powerful tool.
Yeah.
And it's still evolving with a community behind it.
Yeah.
I'm excited to see what the future holds for cut data.
Me too.
Yeah.
Yeah, it really is amazing to think
about how something so simple like a URL shortener
can have such a rich ecosystem and so much potential.
Yeah.
It really is a testament to how even the most basic tools can
become these powerful platforms when they embrace open source.
Yeah, and the community.
And have a strong community.
So we've covered a lot of ground in this deep dive.
We have.
But there's one aspect I still want to circle back to.
That's their commitment to privacy.
We touched on it earlier, but can you
elaborate on how the open source nature?
Sure.
Enhances user privacy.
Yeah, so with commercial URL shorteners,
you're putting your trust in that company,
handling your data.
You don't know how they're collecting it, or storing it,
or even potentially monetizing it.
But with CutDot, the entire code base is open.
You can see exactly what's happening.
There are no hidden back doors or anything shady.
So it's not just about the features.
It's also about peace of mind.
It is.
Knowing that your data is under your control.
Precisely.
And if you're self-hosting, you have even greater control
because you're responsible for your own data security.
It comes with its own challenges.
But if you prioritize privacy, it's a worthwhile trade-off.
For sure, as we've been talking, I've been thinking about all
the different ways that CutDot could be used,
that go beyond just shortening links.
Are there any examples of people using it
in innovative or unexpected ways?
Yeah, absolutely.
One example is using it for internal link management.
Oh, OK.
So instead of sharing long cumbersome internal URLs,
teams can use CutDot to create these short, memorable links
that are easy to share and track.
Yeah, it would really streamline things.
It would.
And company.
Yeah, and because it's so customizable.
You can tailor it to your specific needs.
You could even create custom themes and domains
for different departments or projects.
That's cool.
I could see how that would be really valuable for businesses
and educators and creators.
Exactly.
And the possibilities are always expanding
as the community develops new integrations
and finds new use cases.
That's awesome.
CutDot, it is much more than a URL shortener.
It's a versatile platform for link management
and customization.
I think it's safe to say that we both have a new appreciation
for CutDot.
I agree.
It's more than just a tool.
It's a community project with a commitment
to privacy and transparency
and really empowering the user.
Absolutely, I completely agree.
So to our listeners out there,
we encourage you to check out CutDot,
even if you don't think you need a URL shortener right now.
Right, you might be surprised.
You might be.
At its versatility.
Yeah, for sure.
And the possibilities it opens up.
And if you're looking for a hosting solution
that can support CutDot,
and all your digital transformation needs,
make sure to check out our sponsor, Safe Server.
Safe Server.
www.safeserver.d.
All right.
Thanks for joining us for this deep dive into CutDot.
Yeah, thanks for listening.
We hope you learned some valuable insights.
Hopefully.
Maybe even found a new tool.
Right.
To add to your digital toolkit.
Until next time, happy shortening.