In the early days of the internet, URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) were often long and cumbersome. As the web grew, it became increasingly difficult to share links with others, especially on platforms with character limits, such as Twitter. To address this issue, URL shorteners emerged.
Bit.ly is a URL shortener service that allows users to shorten long URLs into shorter, more shareable links. Founded in 2008, Bit.ly has become one of the most widely used URL shorteners on the internet. The service provides a range of features, including:
| Step | Tool / Service | Quick command / link | |------|----------------|----------------------| | Expand URL | curl -I -L https://bit.ly/qvcyaf or (https://checkshorturl.com) | | | Reputation | VirusTotal (https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/url) | paste final URL | | Domain info | WhoisXML API , DomainTools , or whois CLI | | | File hash scan | VirusTotal (file upload) or Hybrid Analysis | | | Sandbox | Any.run , Joe Sandbox , Cuckoo | upload final page or file | | Threat intel | URLVoid , Talos , Cisco Umbrella , PhishTank | |
