Why I Created SafeOrNah
I'm Ethan, a fourth-year computer science student at CFPT. Here's how a list of APIs gave me the idea for SafeOrNah.
Hey, I'm Ethan. I'm in my fourth year of computer science at CFPT, and SafeOrNah is my project. Before you start using it for real, I wanted to tell you where it came from.
It All Started with a List of APIs
The idea came to me during a programming workshop. While browsing a list of public APIs, I noticed several services that check if a link or file is dangerous. Google Safe Browsing, VirusTotal, URLhaus, PhishTank… Each has its own database, strengths, and blind spots.
I thought it would be interesting to bring them all together in one service. You paste a link or upload a file, and instead of checking ten different sites, you get a single clear answer.
What’s an API?
An API is like a door a service opens for other programs. Instead of visiting its website and clicking around, a program can ask it a question directly, like “Is this link known to be dangerous?” and get an answer it can read on its own. That’s how SafeOrNah queries all these services for you, all at once.
What I Wanted to Build
- One place. A dozen security services, community feedback, and an AI’s opinion, all combined on one page with a verdict: Safe, Meh, or Nah.
- Free. Checking a link before clicking shouldn’t cost anything.
- Accessible to everyone. No need to be a cybersecurity expert to understand the answer, or to have an account to run a first check.
Your file never leaves your device. Its fingerprint is calculated in your browser, and only that is sent to the services.
What Now?
SafeOrNah keeps growing. If you’re missing a feature, suggest it in the suggestions. And if something isn’t working as expected, let me know.
Thanks for reading, and happy safe browsing!