3 points | by tuxyz 14 hours ago
2 comments
Hi HN,
I’d like to introduce Tux.wf Beta 2.0, a lightweight, privacy-respecting platform that combines:
Short URL service (clean redirects, no tracking scripts embedded)
Free sub-domain hosting (e.g. yourname.tux.wf)
Simple infrastructure, built with open-source components
What’s new in Beta 2.0?
Improved routing and faster redirect handling
Cleaner sub-domain provisioning workflow
Hardened server configuration (rate limiting + abuse mitigation)
Better separation between redirect service and sub-domain vhosts
Short URL Service
The shortener is designed to be:
Minimal
Fast
Transparent
No aggressive tracking or advertising
Each short link resolves via standard HTTP redirects. The goal is reliability and simplicity rather than monetization.
Free Sub-Domains
Users can request sub-domains under tux.wf for:
Personal homepages
FOSS projects
Testing / staging
Community initiatives
DNS and vhost routing are handled centrally. The idea is to lower the barrier for publishing small projects without requiring full domain ownership.
Philosophy
The project is part of a broader open infrastructure effort focused on:
Open source stack
Transparent configuration
Community collaboration
Low-cost / free access to basic web services
No ads. No growth-hacking mechanics. Just infrastructure.
I’m especially interested in feedback on:
Abuse prevention strategies for open shorteners
Scalable sub-domain management (automation vs. moderation)
Rate limiting approaches that don’t punish legitimate users
Beta testers and technical feedback are very welcome.
Thanks for sharing. Is your goal to make this a paid service eventually? I ended up doing link shortening via Cloudflare Workers recently but I think Bitly premium would be the direct paid competitor to this?
Hi HN,
I’d like to introduce Tux.wf Beta 2.0, a lightweight, privacy-respecting platform that combines:
Short URL service (clean redirects, no tracking scripts embedded)
Free sub-domain hosting (e.g. yourname.tux.wf)
Simple infrastructure, built with open-source components
What’s new in Beta 2.0?
Improved routing and faster redirect handling
Cleaner sub-domain provisioning workflow
Hardened server configuration (rate limiting + abuse mitigation)
Better separation between redirect service and sub-domain vhosts
Short URL Service
The shortener is designed to be:
Minimal
Fast
Transparent
No aggressive tracking or advertising
Each short link resolves via standard HTTP redirects. The goal is reliability and simplicity rather than monetization.
Free Sub-Domains
Users can request sub-domains under tux.wf for:
Personal homepages
FOSS projects
Testing / staging
Community initiatives
DNS and vhost routing are handled centrally. The idea is to lower the barrier for publishing small projects without requiring full domain ownership.
Philosophy
The project is part of a broader open infrastructure effort focused on:
Open source stack
Transparent configuration
Community collaboration
Low-cost / free access to basic web services
No ads. No growth-hacking mechanics. Just infrastructure.
I’m especially interested in feedback on:
Abuse prevention strategies for open shorteners
Scalable sub-domain management (automation vs. moderation)
Rate limiting approaches that don’t punish legitimate users
Beta testers and technical feedback are very welcome.
Thanks for sharing. Is your goal to make this a paid service eventually? I ended up doing link shortening via Cloudflare Workers recently but I think Bitly premium would be the direct paid competitor to this?