Building a Privacy-First URL Shortener on Blockchain

Описание и применение

Создана система сокращения URL, использующая клиентское шифрование и хранение зашифрованных ссылок в блокчейне Cronos, обеспечивая конфиденциальность и устойчивость к цензуре.

Задача

Traditional URL shorteners log user data, track browsing patterns, and sell data, creating privacy risks and single points of failure.

Результат

Cryptly demonstrates a privacy‑first URL shortener that eliminates server‑side data collection, protects against database hacks, and offers censorship resistance via blockchain storage.

Рабочий процесс

• 1. User enters a URL in the client UI.
• 2. The browser generates a random IV and AES‑GCM key using Web Crypto API.
• 3. The URL is encrypted client‑side and the ciphertext is sent to a Cloudflare Worker.
• 4. The Worker writes the ciphertext to the Cronos blockchain as immutable data.
• 5. The Worker returns a short code (e.g., a hash or index).
• 6. User shares the short link (cryptly.workers.dev/<code>).
• 7. When the short link is visited, the Worker fetches the ciphertext from the blockchain.
• 8. The browser decrypts the ciphertext locally with the stored key and redirects to the original URL.
• 9. No server logs or analytics are collected.
• 10. The system remains censorship‑resistant and privacy‑preserving.

Доказательства

Encrypted URL stored on Cronos blockchain

Источник

Server never sees destination URLs

Источник