64 links

Create a permanent link to your short message without transferring any byte!

"64 links" has a dedicated URL to every reasonably short (TODO: specify the exact limit) clipboard message ever made and that will ever be made, including the answers to all questions ever asked. These messages are not stored anywhere, not sent to or downloaded from the network, and therefore cannot be brute-forced or compromised. When you "create a link" to your message, no bytes are transferred. When you "visit a link", the browser downloads the WEB app only, but the message itself is not sent to or received from the Internet.

E.g., the classic Hello, world! greeting has the following link: https://64links.github.io/u/#SGVsbG8sIHdvcmxkIQo%3d

Tip

I strongly advise checking out the manifesto before using!
To delve into technical details, first check out the WTF button at the footer of https://64links.github.io.

Creating a link on Mac OS X

echo 'My awesome message' \
| base64 \
| sed -e 's/+/%2b/g' -e 's/\//%2f/g' -e 's/=/%3d/g' \
| awk '{print "https://64links.github.io/u/#"$1}'

Creating a link on Linux

echo 'My awesome message' \
| base64 -w 0 \
| sed -e 's/+/%2b/g' -e 's/\//%2f/g' -e 's/=/%3d/g' \
| awk '{print "https://64links.github.io/u/#"$1}'

Creating a link on Windows

TODO

Manifesto

1. We should stop exposing our secrets to the public

There are plenty of "pastebins" over the Internet, however, all of them store actual messages on their premises or smbd else's servers. Some of them state they use clouds and convince us they comply with all kinds of GDPR, HIPAA, even the cookies are filtered out (BTW, who cares what actually happens when you reject cookies?).

Regardless of whether these claims are true or not, the thing is: once you submit your clipboard message somewhere, you are under the risk of being compromised. By using such services, you literally expose your privacy to the public, and even worse, you exchange your secret with a shiny URL, which often is only a few letters long and really easy to brute-force.

2. We need a real KISS (keep it simple & stupid)

I've always wondered why there's no simple shell command which provides me with a link to my stuff immediately, regardless of my environment and location.

One popular solution provides a weird cURL like echo 'Message' | curl -s -F 'blabla=<-' (pardon my French, but why do I need passing a form param, and actually, what is this <- arrow, I have never seen any similar cURL in my 10y+ WEB developer career).

You might tell me the "64 links" CLI is even worse. Fair enough, if judging by the cover. Take a closer look and you'll find out every pipe is JUSTified:

echo 'My awesome message' \                                  # <-- Just echo
| base64 -w 0 \                                              # <-- Just base64 encode
| sed -e 's/+/%2b/g' -e 's/\//%2f/g' -e 's/=/%3d/g' \        # <-- Just sanitise for URL usage
| awk '{print "https://64links.github.io/u/#"$1}'            # <-- Just concatenate

All modern terminals recognize the links once they appear in the output. So highly likely you are willing to click on the link you just've created.

3. We want sustainability

Microsoft seems to be immortal, that's why I've hosted "64 links" right on GitHub pages. Call Bill in case of any downtime, but so far just enjoy the global coverage. However, keep in mind, there are no guarantees of stability no matter how good or bad the source code is.

Yours sincerely,
Igops, per aspera ad DevOps
hi@igops.me