The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source The overlooked power of URLs (News)
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Nov 3, 2025 Discover how URLs can serve as state containers, helping to encode UI states for better user experiences. Learn about the impressive ways developers like Shrivu Shankar harness Cloud Code features. Explore the debate on whether AI has compromised the integrity of technical interviews. Wu Xiaoyun shares his remarkable internship feat of saving TikTok $300k through a Rust rewrite. Finally, uncover Tune, a new serialization format that significantly cuts token usage for LLM prompts.
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URL Recreated My Tooling State
- Ahmad Alfy found a comment containing a URL that fully reconstructed his PrismJS setup.
- The single link encoded themes, languages, and plugins so his exact configuration was recoverable.
URLs As State Containers
- URLs can function as state containers that store intent and configuration without extra storage.
- Relying on URLs reduces the need for databases, cookies, or local storage for shareable state.
Prefer URL State Before Heavy Libraries
- Use existing links and URL parameters before adding complex state management libraries.
- Prefer simple URL-encoded state for shareability and recovery when appropriate.