Building a Privacy-First URL Shortener on Blockchain

Описание и применение

Создан приватный сокращатель URL, использующий клиентское шифрование и хранение зашифрованных ссылок на блокчейне Cronos, чтобы сервер не видел целевые URL и не собирал данные о пользователях.

Задача

Traditional URL shorteners log IPs, timestamps, user agents, track browsing patterns, and sell data, creating a privacy nightmare and a single point of failure if the database is hacked.

Результат

Users can create and use short URLs without exposing destination URLs to the server, eliminating tracking and reducing risk of data breaches, while benefiting from blockchain’s immutability and censorship resistance.

Рабочий процесс

• Generate a random IV and AES-GCM key in the browser.
• Encrypt the target URL with Web Crypto API using the key and IV.
• Store the encrypted payload on the Cronos blockchain via a Cloudflare Worker.
• When a short link is accessed, the worker retrieves the encrypted data from the blockchain.
• The browser decrypts the data locally with the same key and IV.
• Redirect the user to the decrypted URL without exposing it to the server.

Доказательства

Encrypted URL stored on Cronos blockchain

Источник

Server never sees destination

Источник