Random Link CGI Demo

This page demonstrates the Random Link Generator CGI script functionality.

How It Would Work

When functional, clicking a Random Link would:

  1. Send a request to the Perl CGI script
  2. The script reads a database file containing URLs (one per line)
  3. A random URL is selected from the list
  4. The server sends an HTTP 302 redirect to that URL
  5. Your browser automatically follows the redirect to the destination

Example Database Format

https://example1.com/
https://example2.com/page.html
https://example3.org/
https://example4.net/path/
https://example5.com/resource

Modern JavaScript Alternative

For current websites, JavaScript provides a better solution with no server requirements:

const sites = [
    'https://example1.com/',
    'https://example2.com/',
    'https://example3.com/'
];

function goToRandomSite() {
    const url = sites[Math.floor(Math.random() * sites.length)];
    window.location.href = url;
}

// Usage: <button onclick="goToRandomSite()">Random Site</button>
View Documentation Download Script Back to Random Link
Learn More
Why Use Random Link?
  • Link Rotation: Distribute traffic among multiple partner or affiliate links
  • Discovery: Create "surprise me" or "random resource" features
  • Load Balancing: Basic traffic distribution across multiple servers
  • Web Rings: Classic early-web navigation between related sites
  • A/B Testing: Simple random distribution for testing different landing pages
Requirements
  • Perl 5.x or higher
  • Web server with CGI support (Apache, nginx with CGI, etc.)
  • Write permissions for log file (if logging enabled)
  • Text file with URLs (one per line)
Historical Note: Random Link was popular in the 1990s for web rings and site discovery. While CGI scripts are less common today, the concept remains useful for various web applications, now typically implemented in JavaScript or server-side frameworks.