URL Shorteners have been around for several years, but the idea never got popular till the Era of Twitter emerged.
But something is really strange about the new URL shortener the Total URL is “http://to” and that’s it.
e.g. http://to./4gr6r will open this current page and http://to./technology will open Homepage for this website.
This will programmatically break all the rules we have seen for the domain names. Normally, a domain name needs a Top level domain like .com, .net, .org, etc, but this one is something totally unique. I still don’t understand how the DNS servers are accepting this on the Internet level. If this had been on a Local area, it makes sense.
I’m not even able to retrieve Whois for this domain. More research on it after a break.
Update: This could be the potential Explanation:
1- Periods (.) don’t do anything after a domain (ie www.weebly.com.), but they are useful for preventing the browsers from redirecting to http://www.to.com/
2- The real domain we’re looking at: “to” — no “suffix” attached (TLD: top-level domain)
3- The .to registry added an A-record for the “to” domain, which resolves correctly.
Update 2. We managed to get few links: you can test them out http://to./tech/ http://to./technology (trailing forward slash is important in the first one)
Update 3: Finally, all answers arrive on Wikipidea.
.to is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) of the island kingdom of Tonga.
As the .to domains are paid for, all normal DNS operations are possible and registered sites are not required to display ads on behalf of the registrar. Some domains are free, like .edu.to, but only to real Tongan educational institutions. At this moment businesses registered in Tonga can also get free domains. People who sell on .to domains can claim a bonus.
.to is one of few ccTLDs that (officially) does not maintain a (public) WHOIS database providing registrant information.
What do you think?
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This looks both strange and amazing! How can this even happen!?
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Hoping to see another article which digs the secret of this domain 🙂
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very strange but also interessting
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They own Top level domain called .to (like .com) so they can do anything with it.
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Does that mean there could be an A-record in the com domain, such that http://com./ would resolve to something? As a matter of fact, http://org./ and http://com./ also resolve. weird!
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Taranfx you are actually wrong
someone registered http://www.to, and most browsers now redirect not working domains to the same with http://www., so it works out (eg if http://to/ doesn't work, the browser redirects you to http://www.to/)
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Man, my brains burns with this! Totally crazy! Never saw something like this too! Who could imagine http://to./ redirects… Totally crazy!
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And their “secret password” is…? 🙂
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What is the secret password ?
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Doesn't work for me sitting in Sweden at least. Maybe a firewall problem but unsure.
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What is the secret password ?
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Doesn't work for me sitting in Sweden at least. Maybe a firewall problem but unsure.
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Truly awesome. I have never encounter such strange yet short URL. Nice post.
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So when I get a random email from a complete stranger, and their e-mail contains almost nothing but a link to http://to./3q7n, am I supposed to believe it’s a legitimate business claim that wants to make me an instant online billionaire for doing nothing, or am I supposed to understand that it’s at best a scam and at worst a link to some trojan or virus?
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Great post! We are linking to this particularly great post on our site.
Keep up the good writing.
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