More Google API news: the company just announced an API for its URL shortening service goo.gl. You can now use the API to integrate goo.gl URLs into your own projects. It’s a RESTful JSON API and the documentation is here. Our resident hacker Tyler Gilles notes that it’s pretty simple – it has only four methods. But you won’t need much more than that.
goo.gl competes with other URL shorteners such as Bit.ly. We compared goog.gl with other URL shorteners when it launched in 2009. An Independent study by WatchMouse found that goog.gl was the both the fastest and most reliable URL shortener tested. Google cites another study by Pingdom that confirms WatchMouse’s findings.
Now that goo.gl has an API, the biggest thing now lacking is the ability for companies to create customer URLs (like our own rww.to).
Google is also promising more security for the shortener. A Twitter worm spread last month by using goo.gl URLs to mask malicious links, but it’s not the only URL shortener that’s been used for nefarious purposes. Twitter started its own t.co shortening service in part to curb malware on its service.
Disclosure: Watchmouse is a ReadWriteWeb sponsor
