Random Link Generator

PHP Implementation

<?php
/**
 * Random Link Generator - PHP Version
 */

// Configuration
$linkfile = '/var/www/data/links.txt';
$logfile = '/var/www/logs/rand_link.log';
$enable_logging = true;

// Read links from file
$links = file($linkfile, FILE_IGNORE_NEW_LINES | FILE_SKIP_EMPTY_LINES);

if ($links === false || empty($links)) {
    die('No links available.');
}

// Filter to valid URLs only
$links = array_filter($links, function($url) {
    return filter_var($url, FILTER_VALIDATE_URL);
});

if (empty($links)) {
    die('No valid links available.');
}

// Select random link
$url = $links[array_rand($links)];

// Log the access (optional)
if ($enable_logging && $logfile) {
    $time = date('Y-m-d H:i:s');
    $ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] ?? 'unknown';
    $referer = $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'] ?? 'direct';
    $log_entry = "$time | $ip | $referer | $url\n";
    file_put_contents($logfile, $log_entry, FILE_APPEND | LOCK_EX);
}

// Redirect to the random URL
header('Location: ' . $url, true, 302);
exit;
?>

PHP with Weighted Links

<?php
/**
 * Weighted Random Link Generator
 * Links with higher weights appear more often
 */

// Format: URL|weight
$links = [
    'https://premium-partner.com/' => 50,
    'https://gold-partner.com/' => 30,
    'https://silver-partner.com/' => 15,
    'https://bronze-partner.com/' => 5,
];

function weightedRandom($items) {
    $total = array_sum($items);
    $rand = mt_rand(1, $total);
    $current = 0;

    foreach ($items as $url => $weight) {
        $current += $weight;
        if ($rand <= $current) {
            return $url;
        }
    }

    return array_key_first($items);
}

$url = weightedRandom($links);
header('Location: ' . $url, true, 302);
exit;
?>

JavaScript Implementation

/**
 * Random Link Generator - JavaScript Version
 * Client-side random redirect with no server required
 */

class RandomLinkGenerator {
    constructor(links, options = {}) {
        this.links = links;
        this.options = {
            openInNewTab: true,
            trackClicks: false,
            ...options
        };
    }

    getRandomLink() {
        return this.links[Math.floor(Math.random() * this.links.length)];
    }

    redirect() {
        const url = this.getRandomLink();

        if (this.options.trackClicks) {
            this.trackClick(url);
        }

        if (this.options.openInNewTab) {
            window.open(url, '_blank', 'noopener,noreferrer');
        } else {
            window.location.href = url;
        }
    }

    trackClick(url) {
        // Send to analytics
        console.log('Random link clicked:', url);
        // navigator.sendBeacon('/track/click', JSON.stringify({ url: url }));
    }

    // Bind to a button/link element
    bindTo(selector) {
        const element = document.querySelector(selector);
        if (element) {
            element.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
                e.preventDefault();
                this.redirect();
            });
        }
    }
}

// Usage examples:

// Basic usage
const links = [
    'https://example1.com/',
    'https://example2.com/',
    'https://example3.com/',
    'https://example4.com/',
];

const randomizer = new RandomLinkGenerator(links);

// Bind to a button
randomizer.bindTo('#random-link-button');

// Or redirect immediately
// randomizer.redirect();

// With weighted links
class WeightedRandomLinks {
    constructor(weightedLinks) {
        this.links = weightedLinks;
        this.totalWeight = weightedLinks.reduce((sum, item) => sum + item.weight, 0);
    }

    getRandomLink() {
        let random = Math.random() * this.totalWeight;
        for (const item of this.links) {
            random -= item.weight;
            if (random <= 0) {
                return item.url;
            }
        }
        return this.links[0].url;
    }

    redirect() {
        window.location.href = this.getRandomLink();
    }
}

// Weighted usage
const weightedLinks = [
    { url: 'https://premium.com/', weight: 50 },
    { url: 'https://gold.com/', weight: 30 },
    { url: 'https://silver.com/', weight: 15 },
    { url: 'https://bronze.com/', weight: 5 },
];

const weighted = new WeightedRandomLinks(weightedLinks);

// HTML inline usage
// <a href="#" onclick="randomizer.redirect(); return false;">Random Site</a>

HTML Usage Examples

<!-- Basic link to CGI script -->
<a href="/cgi-bin/rand_link.pl">Visit a Random Site</a>

<!-- Styled button -->
<a href="/cgi-bin/rand_link.pl" class="btn btn-primary">
    <i class="bi bi-shuffle"></i> Random Site
</a>

<!-- Open in new tab -->
<a href="/cgi-bin/rand_link.pl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
    Random Site (New Tab)
</a>

<!-- JavaScript approach (recommended for modern sites) -->
<button id="random-link-btn" class="btn btn-success">
    <i class="bi bi-shuffle"></i> Discover Random Site
</button>

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

document.getElementById('random-link-btn').addEventListener('click', function() {
    const url = sites[Math.floor(Math.random() * sites.length)];
    window.open(url, '_blank', 'noopener');
});
</script>

<!-- Bootstrap card with random link feature -->
<div class="card">
    <div class="card-body text-center">
        <h5 class="card-title">Feeling Lucky?</h5>
        <p class="card-text">Discover a random site from our collection!</p>
        <a href="/cgi-bin/rand_link.pl" class="btn btn-lg btn-warning">
            <i class="bi bi-dice-5"></i> Take Me Somewhere Random
        </a>
    </div>
</div>