The latest articles on DEV Community by Joseph Robinson (@joseph_robinson_1ea4f9dcc). https://dev.to/joseph_robinson_1ea4f9dcc https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4056715%2F6a85e362-3750-4f4f-9561-2f14be432c3c.png https://dev.to/joseph_robinson_1ea4f9dcc en Joseph Robinson Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:42:29 +0000 https://dev.to/joseph_robinson_1ea4f9dcc/urlhawkim-i9i https://dev.to/joseph_robinson_1ea4f9dcc/urlhawkim-i9i <p>A Brief History</p> <p>URL Hawk first went live in the late 2000s, in the golden age of link shorteners. Twitter counted every character, links were long, and urlhawk.com compressed them into short, manageable aliases that people actually shared.</p> <p>Like many services of that era, it eventually shut down and the domain sat parked for years. The links went quiet, but the idea never stopped being useful.</p> <p>The Revival</p> <p>We are bringing URL Hawk back. Links did not get shorter in the meantime. Tracking parameters, session tokens, and deeply nested paths turned simple web addresses into something nobody can read out loud, let alone remember.</p> <p>The revived URL Hawk lives at urlhawk.im, keeps the original promise, and does one thing well: it turns any long URL into a short one you can actually share. Paste a link, get a short one. That is the whole product, and we think that is a feature.</p> <p>What We Believe</p> <p>No friction</p> <p>You should not need an account, a credit card, or a tutorial to shorten a link. You paste, we shorten.</p> <p>Links are forever</p> <p>A short link is a promise. Once created, your links keep working. We do not break them, expire them, or hold them hostage.</p> <p>Names matter</p> <p>Random strings work, but urlhawk/my-favourite-place is better. Custom aliases are free for everyone.</p> <p>What's Next</p> <p>Today the revived URL Hawk shortens links and lets you pick custom aliases. Next up: accounts to manage your links, QR Codes you can restyle without reprinting, and analytics that tell you what is working without drowning you in dashboards. Same hawk, sharper aim.</p> ai urlshortner productivity