DEV Community

Anxiny
Anxiny

Posted on • Updated on

We made a website to easily share links between our devices.

My partner and I made a website to make us easily share links between our devices.

https://www.linkshared.io/

Backstory

Many times when we found something interesting and wanted to share a link from one's phone or laptop to her desktop so we can both watch it on the big screen, we had to send the link by email, or sent to her phone via some app and she had to copy the link from her phone to the PC, Or we have to download some apps, etc.. The process was really annoying.

Therefore, we decided to make a website that can allow people share link by simply visit our webpage.

How it works:

This webpage will hold the shared link for 2 minutes, for now, and people can share the link via a share code so other people can access the shared text.

Steps are very simple:

  1. Share your text on the website.
  2. Use the share code to get your text on other devices. If the text contains a URL, website will detect it and extract the link for you.

How we made it & Costs

  • We used NextJS to implement both the frontend and backend API.
  • We opened a free Redislabs account so we can host our cache.
  • We used the free hosting service provide by Vercel.
  • We brought a domain name on Vercel for $70/yr.

Why a two minutes limit?

  1. We don't want to make a cloud storage.
  2. We don't want to pay for a cloud storage.
  3. In most use cases, this webpage just works like clipboard, so no long term storage is needed.
  4. We don't want to pay for a cloud storage.

Why don't just use a chat app?

  • We're using WeChat, their desktop version login is annoying.
  • We don't like to download unnecessary apps in our phones and PCs, and people are using different apps, so a website can avoid installing unwanted apps.

We really hate the trend that everything needs an app to use nowadays.

Thank you!

Please feel free to leave your comment!

Top comments (26)

Collapse
 
suhakim profile image
sadiul hakim

Have you created this algorithm or using any package?

Collapse
 
anxiny profile image
Anxiny

I'm using MUI, NextJS, and Redis to make this project

Collapse
 
suhakim profile image
sadiul hakim

I wanted to say "what are you using to generate that hex code?"

Thread Thread
 
anxiny profile image
Anxiny

developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/W...
I'm using this one for now. Probably move to something safer when it really get some scale.

Collapse
 
rushannotofficial profile image
Rushan S J

Hi @anxiny ,
Did you look into firebase hosting? Since you're not putting any advertisements in your website, you aren't getting profit here. $70/year may not sound much but is a lot. Firebase hosting on the other hand is free.

Collapse
 
anxiny profile image
Anxiny • Edited

Thanks for sharing the idea. Vercel hosting is free too, the cost is for me to own the domain name.

Best

Collapse
 
jlopez788 profile image
Juan Lopez

Excellent tool!! I've found myself in these kind of situations before and had to keep the links on Google keep.

Collapse
 
anxiny profile image
Anxiny

Thanks for leaving a comment! We glad you like it!

Collapse
 
bugb profile image
bugb • Edited

good idea! I like it!

Collapse
 
anxiny profile image
Anxiny

Thank you!

Collapse
 
darkterminal profile image
Imam Ali Mustofa

Like the idea!

Collapse
 
rushannotofficial profile image
Rushan S J

Amazing

Collapse
 
suhakim profile image
sadiul hakim

awesome but both have to come to this website to retrieve link

Collapse
 
anxiny profile image
Anxiny

Yeah, but you don't have to download any app.

Collapse
 
anxiny profile image
Anxiny

In my case, I don't have any chat app install on my PC.

Collapse
 
progmac profile image
progmac

Cool idea, great work 👏

Collapse
 
anxiny profile image
Anxiny

Thanks

Collapse
 
jesuismaxime profile image
Maxime Lafrenière

Add to that AirDrop for Apple users

Collapse
 
nathanpuls profile image
nathanpuls

very cool - for a simple solution not requiring building a website I have created either a google doc or google sheet that is editable and created a shortlink that goes to it. That way I’m the only one who knows it and can share with people I know. But your project allows anyone in the world to do it without having to create something. Well done. It would be nice to have a copy button to copy the text. Thanks for building!

Collapse
 
hoangvu12 profile image
Vu Nguyen

Nice idea, I'll use this for my daily works. Thank you

Collapse
 
cloudkungfu profile image
Javel Rowe

Pretty cool tool to have! There are times when I'd need something exactly like this 💯
On another note, those .io domains can be pretty costly for real 😅

Collapse
 
spandan profile image
Spandan

Awesome idea
Keep it up !
I will surely promote this website to my friends and others :)

Collapse
 
eugenman profile image
Eugen • Edited

Google Chrome can do it. Push arrow on the end of URL field and choose "share between my devices", then choose one of them.

Collapse
 
anxiny profile image
Anxiny

I don't know chrome has this, but looks like can only send to the device within same account.