Send a Secret Message with a Link
Create an encrypted message, share the link, and give the recipient the decoding key separately. No download or registration required.
Create → Share → Reveal
- Create — Choose Secret Link in Encode, write your message and generate a strong decoding key. Keep the key safe.
- Share — Copy the complete link or use Share link. Send the decoding key separately, ideally through another trusted channel.
- Reveal — The recipient opens the link, enters the key and reveals the message in their browser. No file upload or encrypted-text paste is needed.
The encrypted message travels in the link
Secret Link carries encrypted data after # in the URL. The key is never included. The fragment is not part of a normal HTTP request to the reader page; decryption happens locally in the recipient’s browser. Hidden.Irish does not keep a server-side message store for these links.
Secret Link is not steganography: it does not hide the fact that encrypted data is being shared. Writing and Image offer experimental concealment in text or artwork; Secret Link offers a direct route to the encrypted message.
A link for a small surprise
- Birthday surprise — Send a link to a birthday wish and give the key on a card when it is time to open it.
- Romantic message — Write a personal love note and give the recipient the key separately.
- Creative invitation — Place the event details in a message and share the key with your intended guests.
- Easter egg or puzzle — Let players discover a clue that leads to the key, then open the final message. A guessable puzzle answer is a weak key.
Secret Link questions
What is private, and what reaches the server?
Creating a secret uses the existing Hidden.Irish encryption API: your message and key reach the server transiently for encryption. Opening a Secret Link decrypts in the browser, without sending its fragment or decoding key to the reader API. The reader has no analytics. Browsers and sharing apps may retain the full link in history or conversations.
How should I share the password or key?
Keep the link and decoding key separate. Anyone who has both can read the message. Prefer a generated random key and a different trusted channel for sending it. Hidden.Irish cannot recover a lost key.
Why can a secret link be long?
The URL carries the encrypted message instead of a reference to a stored copy. Messages support up to 800 UTF-8 bytes; the current compact SL2 format produces maximum links of about 1,161–1,164 characters on hidden.irish. Keep the complete link, including everything after #.
Will it work in every messaging app?
Use a current browser with JavaScript and Web Crypto support. Apps may alter or truncate links. Real-device sharing compatibility has not been established for every platform; test the received link and correct key before relying on it.
Does the recipient need an account or a file?
No account, download or file upload is required. The recipient opens the complete link and enters the separately shared key. A wrong key or damaged payload will not reveal the message.
