Deploy read-only mode for ShortUrl
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	Krinkle
	Jul 2 2020, 5:16 PM

Description

Context:

In T107188#6275214, @Krinkle wrote:

In T107188#1489103, @Legoktm wrote:

The main thing is that we no longer expose (old) ShortUrls anywhere, and we don't create any *new* ones.

In T107188#2299648, @yuvipanda wrote:

we could keep ShortUrl as is, put it in a readonly mode.

So it looks like the outcome willl be that the current UI deployed on some wikis where short URLs are eagerly generated on page view (violates DBPerf, T122708) and shows them atop the page for sharing, is something that will no longer be supported.

Instead, people would need to use https://w.wiki, possibly via a gadget that produces a link like https://w.wiki/?url=URL so that users can still get there easily and then only have to submit the form to find or make the short url accordingly.

Perhaps we can already remove the current UI and eager generation today, ahead of T187045 and this task (T107188). If not, what is blocking that?

For this task:

Develop a read-only flag to the legacy ShortUrl extension.
Set the read-only flag. This will automatically resolve T122708.

Current wikis per CommonSettings.php source

// NO FURTHER DEPLOYMENTS OF THIS EXTENSION.
'wmgUseShortUrl' => [
	'default' => false,
	'bdwikimedia' => true, // T146014
	'bhwiki' => true, // T113348
	'bnwiki' => true, // T62956
	'bnwikisource' => true, // T127968
	'eswikibooks' => true, // T96668
	'gomwiki' => true, // T206741
	'hiwiki' => true,
	'hiwikiversity' => true, // T177187
	'knwiki' => true, // T97218
	'knwikisource' => true, // T189287
	'maiwiki' => true, // T125802
	'mrwiki' => true, // T103646
	'newiki' => true, // T92820
	'orwiki' => true,
	'orwikisource' => true, // T124429
	'orwiktionary' => true, // T103644
	'pawiki' => true, // T178919
	'sawiki' => true, // T94660
	'sawikibooks' => true, // T94660
	'sawikiquote' => true, // T94660
	'sawikisource' => true, // T94660
	'sawiktionary' => true, // T94660
	'tawiki' => true,
	'tawikibooks' => true,
	'tawikinews' => true,
	'tawikiquote' => true,
	'tawikisource' => true,
	'tawiktionary' => true,
	'tcywiki' => true, // T150166
	'test2wiki' => true,
	'urwiki' => true, // T138507
],

Related Objects
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Status	Assigned	Task
Resolved	aaron	T88445 MediaWiki active/active datacenter investigation and work (tracking)
Open	None	T92357 Fix database master queries from HTTP GET/HEAD before active-active multi-dc
Open	None	T122708 ShortUrl must not write to master db on page views (DBPerformance warning)
Open	None	T256993 Deploy read-only mode for ShortUrl

Event Timeline

Krinkle created this task.Jul 2 2020, 5:16 PM

Restricted Application added a subscriber: Aklapper. · View Herald TranscriptJul 2 2020, 5:16 PM

Krinkle triaged this task as Medium priority.Jul 2 2020, 5:16 PM

Krinkle updated the task description. (Show Details)

Develop a read-only flag to the legacy ShortUrl extension.

Thanks to @Legoktm for excercising the bounds of our space-time continuum:

Change by Legoktm, merged on 7 July 2016:

[mediawiki/extensions/ShortUrl] Add read-only mode functionality

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/297689

Krinkle mentioned this in T187045: Code Stewardship Review: ShortUrl Extension.Jul 2 2020, 5:29 PM

Krinkle moved this task from Limbo to Watching on the Performance-Team (Radar) board.Jul 9 2020, 3:56 PM

Krinkle moved this task from Radar to Doing (old) on the Performance-Team board.Jul 11 2020, 5:52 PM

Krinkle edited projects, added Performance-Team; removed Performance-Team (Radar).

Krinkle moved this task from Doing (old) to Radar on the Performance-Team board.

Krinkle edited projects, added Performance-Team (Radar); removed Performance-Team.

RhinosF1 subscribed.Jan 25 2021, 8:37 PM

aaron mentioned this in T254634: Determine and implement multi-dc strategy for ChronologyProtector.Feb 10 2021, 11:28 PM

Krinkle updated the task description. (Show Details)Apr 5 2022, 1:52 AM

Krinkle removed a project: Performance-Team (Radar).Aug 18 2023, 8:13 PM

Pppery merged a task: T347419: Set ShortUrl to read-only on wikis where it's available.Dec 23 2024, 7:25 PM

Pppery added a subscriber: Ammarpad.

Create a snippet on mediawiki.org as example gadget that provides a sidebar-integrated replacement for ShortUrl.

@Krinkle Stupid question: Now we do have a side-bar row for short url done by the new extension (url shortener) and it's deployed everywhere. Do you think it's good enough?

Tgr mentioned this in T107188: Sunset ShortUrl extension in favour of UrlShortener extension.Aug 29 2025, 5:30 PM

Tagging our team to discuss the product question. We don't own the new UrlShortener extension in general, but we're taking it on briefly to do some essential work and resolving this question is blocker for sunsetting the old ShortUrl extension.

I showed the old and new UIs to @JTweed-WMF, using Hindi Wikipedia as example (https://hi.wikipedia.org), including the custom share menu they have which builds on the old "title caption" link outputted by the legacy ShortUrl extension.

He recommends that we reach out to the communities to give them a chance to update this to omit the legacy link and/or add a button that clicks the new "Get shortened URL" instead. We should also announce the change in Tech News, and after that we can proceed with adding a simplified reader compat mode to the new repo, and archive the old repo.

I've posted a revised plan at T107188#11181721.

Krinkle updated the task description. (Show Details)Sep 15 2025, 4:27 PM

Krinkle edited projects, added MediaWiki-Platform-Team; removed MediaWiki-Platform-Team (Radar).

Krinkle moved this task from Inbox, needs triage to Next (DO NOT USE) on the MediaWiki-Platform-Team board.Sep 15 2025, 4:30 PM

OWresch-WMF edited projects, added MediaWiki-Platform-Team (Kanban Board); removed MediaWiki-Platform-Team.Nov 21 2025, 11:39 AM