Show HN: Gocat – URL shortener using Google Sheets as a database

4 points

7 months ago

I built a simple go-links URL shortener that uses Google Sheets as its backend. No database, no admin UI – just edit URLs in a spreadsheet.

The entire thing is ~200 lines of Python. You get a webhook that redirects go/docs to whatever URL you mapped in your sheet. If multiple URLs match, it shows an HTML page with all options. Empty path redirects to the spreadsheet itself for quick editing.

It's built on AutoKitteh (which I also work on), which handles the webhook endpoints, Google Sheets integration, and synchronous HTTP responses. Deploy with make deploy and you're done – no servers, databases, or configuration needed.

Comes with a Chrome extension to make go/ links work directly in your browser.

Perfect for teams that want simple, customizable link shortening without the overhead of commercial services or the complexity of self-hosted solutions.

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