User Profiles - Without Data Storage!

Ever thought, “Can I make a link-sharing site without storing any data?” Well, I did and that’s how LinkMe was born. It’s a quick quirky little POC that turns a website into an interpreter.

Instead of hoarding user data on a server, everything gets snugly packed into the URL itself. Yes, your entire profile, all wrapped up in one looong ass link!

What’s the Big Idea?

The concept is super simple: what if, no one stored the data? No databases, no storage, nothing about you saved by anyone. It's just you and your compressed, encoded links.

How It Works:

1. You Input data: Add your avatar, display name, short bio, and the links you want to share.

2. Compress & Encode: This info gets squished down automagically, using LZString compression and encoded into the URL.

3. Share It: You get a unique link that holds all your data, share it with anyone.

4. On-the-Fly Rendering: When someone clicks your link, the site unpacks the data and displays your personalized page instantly.

Why Should You Care?

By not storing any data, LinkMe shifts the liability from the host to the person sharing the link. It raises some eyebrow-raising questions about content responsibility and moderation in the digital age.

Security Nuggets

• Liability Shift: With no user data on the server, who’s responsible if things go south? Likely, it’s on the person sharing the link.

• Content Moderation: No moderation can be done if there’s nothing on the server to scan or filter!

• Privacy Quirks: Your info is all in the URL. Anyone with the link can see it, but that’s kind of the whole point, no?

Future Thoughts

• Hash it, hide it: Next up it would be possible to move the data to the URL hash (#). Which means servers won’t even see it. The data stays entirely in your browser.

• Sharper Compression: Exploring better algorithms to make those URLs even shorter and sweeter. Common data can be compressed into a data dictionary. This is already in use for link sharing but could be expanded further.

• QR Codes: Who doesn't love a good QR Code, we could throw in a generator and allow you to share this long link easier with people you meet irl.

Where can I see this?

I put this up on GitHub, so that anyone can clone it, use it or work with it how they wish. If you do build anything with this concept, please let me know! I'd love to see it in action.

To create the link, head on over to: https://claraleigh.github.io/linkme/generate.html

Once you are there, it should look like this:

Wrapping Up

LinkMe was a very fun, one day experiment, that helped me play with the idea that the host doesn't have to be responsible for content. It’s a bit unorthodox for sure, but it fills a possible void in industry, with moderation being slightly too strict for certain occupations like exploit builders and the sex industry.

Let me know what you think on twitter!

Remember to just ship it! Have an idea? Build it, ship it, then profit. This MVP took one whole ass morning to build.