Linknest was a project 2014-2022

This is what i wrote in an email to the users when I shut it down:

I built and designed the first version of Linknest in 2014 to help myself and close friends save bookmarks visually. There was a lack of good tools focused on visual bookmarking at that time. Built-in bookmarks in the browsers were dull, lacked an overview and were boring to use. Pinboard and similar services existed and were good, but not that exciting to use.

I looked at different visual tools to save things, but which usually had way too many features and not really focused around just bookmarks/links. Something like Pinterest paired with Dribbble. Nowadays however, there are ton of really good products.

I wanted a responsive web app that worked everywhere where I could save links easily. I wanted very few features and something that could give me a visual overview. Save in collections with their own short URLs that were easy to share. I made lists for various job projects, collected inspiration sites and handy tools.

Linknest was a fun side project that taught me a lot about building and designing a product. I had the chance to learn many things that I have benefited from both in my own projects and in my working life. I had to build a whole stack, UI design, both front end and back end development, write copy, send emails, build an audience. I still think it’s important to be passionate about side projects, to learn new things but not least – to have fun.

The ecosystem around Linknest grew a little over the years, features such as a small CLI, a Chrome extension, being able to follow other users, inspiration mode, RSS/JSON feeds, etc.

Linknest has been online for 8 years! I saved 2380 links in 135 collections over the years.

It’s been a long time and even though there has been almost no development made in the last 4 years, still it is up and running. Nowadays I don’t have as much time, and it’s tough to keep a web app online, keep it updated, secure and the tech stack relevant. Sadly, it’s time to say goodbye.

What happens now?

The website will be shut down Dec 1 2022. You can use it until then.

You can export your links easily by going to edit Profile → Download my data. This will download a JSON file which contains all your links, with the metadata (title, url, tags collection)

So long, and thanks for all the great links!

The app

Screenshots of the thing itself: the landing page, signing in, collections, saving and editing a link, your profile, and the little ecosystem that grew around it — a CLI and a Chrome extension.

Some images shared on my Dribbble account