1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,480 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. 2 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:02,840 Yeah, hello. 3 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:04,680 Time to get into another set of sources. 4 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:05,720 Exactly. 5 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:09,440 We're here to dig through the material you've given us, 6 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:12,920 cut through the noise, and really pull out what matters, 7 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:14,240 make it clear. 8 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:16,040 Think of us as your shortcut, helping 9 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:19,160 you get genuinely informed on this specific topic, 10 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:20,720 straight from the sources provided. 11 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:22,680 And speaking of support, this Deep Dive 12 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:24,920 is powered today by Safe Server. 13 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:27,040 If you're dealing with hosting software, 14 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,160 or maybe you need a hand with digital transformation, 15 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:32,160 Safe Server is there to help. 16 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:36,560 You can find out more at www.safe-server.de. 17 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,120 So a big thanks to Safe Server for making this possible. 18 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:39,620 Definitely. 19 00:00:39,620 --> 00:00:41,680 Their support is key for these sessions. 20 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:43,200 OK, so let's jump in. 21 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,720 Today we're looking at something called URLS, Y-O-U-R-L-S. 22 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:48,120 Yes, URLS. 23 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:50,360 And based on the sources, mainly the project's 24 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,320 own GitHub page and their website it stands for. 25 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:54,640 Well, it's pretty straightforward. 26 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:56,480 Your own URL shortener. 27 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:57,720 It really is. 28 00:00:57,720 --> 00:00:59,200 The name just nails it, doesn't it? 29 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,920 It's not like a service you subscribe to somewhere online. 30 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:03,320 No, it's actual software. 31 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:05,280 PHP scripts, basically. 32 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:06,960 You download them, you install them, 33 00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:09,840 and you run them on your server using your domain name. 34 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:11,080 Ah, OK. 35 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:12,920 So completely different from, say, 36 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,880 using bit.ly or tiny URL, where you're 37 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:18,160 on their platform using their short domain name. 38 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:18,760 Exactly. 39 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:19,980 Here you are in charge. 40 00:01:19,980 --> 00:01:21,680 It's your link shortener. 41 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:23,880 So you get custom short links, maybe 42 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:28,400 like your-cool-site.com for forward-swape promo instead 43 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:30,520 of bit.lyry random stuff. 44 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:31,280 Full control. 45 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:31,780 Right. 46 00:01:31,780 --> 00:01:33,480 So our mission for this deep dive, then, 47 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:35,460 is to unpack these sources, figure out 48 00:01:35,460 --> 00:01:38,920 exactly what URLs gives you, and maybe more importantly, why. 49 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,520 Why would someone actually set up their own URL shortener 50 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:43,720 when there are free public ones everywhere? 51 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:45,480 And we want to make it feel approachable. 52 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,560 Even setting up server software sounds a bit technical. 53 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:50,020 The sources do stress that they've 54 00:01:50,020 --> 00:01:52,200 tried to make getting started easier. 55 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,120 So we'll touch on that, make it beginner-friendly. 56 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:54,480 Perfect. 57 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:55,920 OK, so digging in, the first thing 58 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,880 that really stands out from the sources 59 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,000 is this constant theme of control. 60 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:02,880 They keep saying full control over your data, 61 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:04,040 host it on your own domain. 62 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:05,200 It's repeated a lot. 63 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,440 It's the fundamental difference, isn't it? 64 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,960 When you use a public service, they own the link structure. 65 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,320 They often hover up tons of data about who clicks what, when, 66 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:18,040 where, and you depend on them staying in business 67 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:19,040 on their rules. 68 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,480 With your ILS, you own it all. 69 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,200 The links, the click data, your brand identity 70 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:25,480 is right there in the URL. 71 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:26,280 That makes sense. 72 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:29,040 That ownership piece seems huge. 73 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:30,960 But what else comes with that control? 74 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:33,080 The sources mention some features 75 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,120 beyond just making a long URL short. 76 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:36,880 Oh, yeah. 77 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:38,960 They talk about awesome stats. 78 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:41,440 And this isn't just a basic click count. 79 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:42,040 Oh, really? 80 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:43,660 What sort of stats are we talking about? 81 00:02:43,660 --> 00:02:45,360 Well, the docs in the site mention things 82 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,480 like historical click reports, referrer's tracking, 83 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:51,720 and even visitor's geolocation. 84 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:52,280 Wow. 85 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:53,680 OK, so hold on. 86 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,080 Not just how many clicks, but you can see trends over time 87 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:58,320 and referrers. 88 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:00,400 So like how people found the link, 89 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,000 whether they came from Twitter or an email campaign 90 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:04,280 or maybe another website. 91 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:05,480 Exactly that. 92 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:07,120 And the geolocation gives you an idea 93 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:09,120 of where in the world the clicks are coming from. 94 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,520 For anyone doing marketing or sharing content online 95 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,360 or just tracking projects, that level of detail, 96 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:18,840 knowing the context around the click is super valuable. 97 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:20,840 Yeah, you usually only get glimpses of that 98 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:23,720 with free services or you have to pay for the good stuff. 99 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,440 Right, here it's all your data on your server 100 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,240 for you to analyze however you want. 101 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:30,480 That's a really powerful point, 102 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:32,640 the depth of data you get by owning it. 103 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:34,160 Okay, what else stood out in the sources? 104 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,320 Extensibility, that's another big one. 105 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,560 The sources highlight a terrific plugin architecture. 106 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:40,520 Plugins, okay. 107 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:42,920 Yeah, they say there are dozens of plugins available 108 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:44,760 creating endless possibilities 109 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,240 so you can tweak your OLS 110 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:49,440 to work exactly the way you need. 111 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,640 So it's not just static, you can add extra functions. 112 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,120 Can you give an example what kind of things can plugins do? 113 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:57,720 Sure, the sources mention things like 114 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,760 maybe adding a recap TCHA for security 115 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:02,960 on a public facing shortening page. 116 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:03,800 Okay, yeah. 117 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,080 Or integrating with other tools and services you use. 118 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,060 Or even changing how the short keywords 119 00:04:09,060 --> 00:04:10,680 themselves are generated. 120 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:14,160 You could imagine a plugin maybe sending click data 121 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,560 straight to your main analytics platform 122 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:18,640 or creating special types of short links. 123 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:20,600 I see, so it goes from being just a shortener 124 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,440 to being like a flexible little platform you can build on. 125 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:24,520 Precisely. 126 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:26,860 That's a huge draw for developers or businesses 127 00:04:26,860 --> 00:04:29,600 that have very specific workflow needs. 128 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:30,440 Makes sense. 129 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:31,780 It becomes part of your infrastructure, 130 00:04:31,780 --> 00:04:33,360 not just a tool you use. 131 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:37,360 Now, you mentioned making it approachable for beginners. 132 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:39,480 Running server software can sound intimidating. 133 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,200 What do the sources say about actually setting it up? 134 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:44,240 They're quite clear on that. 135 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,000 They point directly to the documentation. 136 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,000 It's at docs.euroles.org. 137 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,220 And they describe it as covering everything 138 00:04:50,220 --> 00:04:52,800 from beginners to experts. 139 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:54,040 That suggests they've really thought 140 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:55,920 about the onboarding process. 141 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,000 Trying to provide a clear path for people 142 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,640 who maybe haven't self-hosted much before, 143 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,240 but want those benefits, owning their links, owning the data. 144 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:05,880 So that fits with our goal here, 145 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,000 seeing it understandable for folks maybe new to this. 146 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,560 Good documentation is absolutely critical for that. 147 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:12,480 It really is. 148 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,800 And another thing that helps with accessibility 149 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:17,760 and reinforces the control aspect 150 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:20,240 is that it's free and open source software. 151 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:22,600 Ah, right, open source. 152 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:26,560 Yeah, under the MIT license, which is very permissive. 153 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:30,880 One source even says, quite bluntly, it's free software. 154 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:33,480 Do whatever the hell you want with it. 155 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:34,800 OK, I like that directness. 156 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:36,600 It really emphasizes the freedom, doesn't it? 157 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:37,240 It does. 158 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:37,880 Use it free. 159 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:38,760 Look at the code. 160 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:39,920 Change it if you want. 161 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:40,800 Share it. 162 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:43,880 No strings attached, basically, beyond the license itself. 163 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:44,960 Exactly. 164 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,800 And the sources also hint at a decent community around it. 165 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,800 Blogs, forums, places to find plugins and help. 166 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:53,320 So if you do get stuck or you want 167 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:55,280 to explore more advanced stuff with plugins, 168 00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:56,600 there's likely support out there. 169 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:58,880 OK, so let's bring this back to you, the listener. 170 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,880 Why should you care about your Alice? 171 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,200 Well, if you're maybe uncomfortable with third party 172 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,600 services controlling your links, your brand, the data. 173 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,040 Right, if that loss of control bothers you. 174 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:15,360 Or if you really need those detailed stats, the refers, 175 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,440 the location data, not just raw click counts. 176 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:20,280 Or maybe you need something super specific, 177 00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:23,160 something customizable that a standard service just 178 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:23,880 doesn't offer. 179 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,360 Then running your own URLs instance on your own server 180 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:29,440 with your own domain, that could actually 181 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:31,640 be a really good solution, especially knowing 182 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:33,960 there's documentation aimed at beginners. 183 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:35,600 It's really about that shift, isn't it? 184 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:36,100 Yeah. 185 00:06:36,100 --> 00:06:39,080 From sort of renting a feature to owning 186 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:42,240 a piece of your own online setup tailored for you. 187 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:43,360 Absolutely. 188 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,040 OK, let's wrap up this deep dive into URLs, then. 189 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:46,960 So we've seen it's free. 190 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:48,320 It's open source software. 191 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:49,320 PHP is scripts. 192 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:49,800 Right. 193 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:53,200 Let's you run your very own URL shortener, key point 194 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:53,840 on your server. 195 00:06:53,840 --> 00:06:55,320 Giving you complete control. 196 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,040 The main idea is ownership, your links, your domain, 197 00:06:58,040 --> 00:06:58,920 your click data. 198 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:00,380 And the things that make it powerful 199 00:07:00,380 --> 00:07:02,840 are those detailed statistics we talked about. 200 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:05,880 The refers, history, geolocation. 201 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,080 The flexibility you get from that plug-in system. 202 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:09,400 Yeah, customizing it. 203 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:13,600 And just the basic freedom that comes with open-source software. 204 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:16,080 Plus, documentation designed to help even 205 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:17,040 if you're starting out. 206 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:18,760 It basically takes something simple, 207 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:20,800 like shortening a link, and turns it 208 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,080 into a strategic, data-rich asset 209 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:25,920 that you control completely. 210 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:27,880 So maybe here's a final thought to leave you with. 211 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,420 We live in a time where so much of what we do online 212 00:07:30,420 --> 00:07:32,300 goes through these huge platforms. 213 00:07:32,300 --> 00:07:33,120 Really good. 214 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,040 So how important is it becoming for you 215 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:37,600 to actually control the basic building 216 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:39,920 blocks of your own online presence, 217 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:42,520 even down to something as fundamental as the links 218 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:43,600 you share? 219 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:45,100 Yeah, that's a good question to ponder. 220 00:07:45,100 --> 00:07:47,800 Where do you draw the line on what you control yourself? 221 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:48,840 Indeed. 222 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:50,800 Well, thank you for joining us for this deep dive 223 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:51,800 on your OSL. 224 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:53,760 Hope it give you a clear picture of what it is 225 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:55,200 and why you might consider it. 226 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,120 And just a reminder, this deep dive 227 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,540 was made possible with support from Safe Server. 228 00:08:00,540 --> 00:08:01,520 That's right. 229 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:03,520 If you need help with hosting software 230 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,720 or navigating your digital transformation, check them out. 231 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:10,720 You can find more info at www.safe-server.de.