How to Create and Share a Paste on Spectre (ghostbin.linuxbox.ninja)

Updated

To create a paste on Spectre, type or paste your text into the input area, optionally choose an expiration time and an encryption password, then submit it. Spectre returns a link you can share. The only decisions you must make are the content and the expiration; encryption is optional. Everything below is based on the options Spectre itself presents.

The short version

  1. Open ghostbin.linuxbox.ninja and put your text in the paste field.
  2. Open Options if you want to change how long the paste lives or whether it is encrypted.
  3. Pick an expiration: Forever, Ten Minutes, an Hour, a Day, or two Days.
  4. Optionally enter a password to encrypt the paste, or leave it blank to skip encryption.
  5. Submit the paste and copy the resulting link to share it.

Step by step

1. Enter your content

Type or paste your text into the main input area. This is the body of the paste — code, logs, notes, configuration, anything text-based.

2. Set the expiration

Spectre exposes expiration under Options. The available choices are:

Option What it means
Forever The paste is not scheduled to expire
Ten Minutes The paste expires ten minutes after creation
an Hour The paste expires one hour after creation
a Day The paste expires one day after creation
two Days The paste expires two days after creation

Choose based on how long the recipient needs access. For a quick handoff, ten minutes or an hour is usually enough. For something you want to keep referencing, use Forever or a longer window.

3. Encrypt (optional)

In the encryption prompt you can enter a password, or leave it blank to skip encryption. If you set a password, anyone who opens the paste needs that password to read it — so share the password through a separate channel from the link.

4. Submit and share

After submitting, Spectre gives you a link for the paste. That link is what you send to others. Anyone with the link (and the password, if you set one) can view the content.

Useful details

  • Persistence settings. Under Options, Spectre can remember your last-used language and your last-used expiration, so you do not have to reselect them every time.
  • Accounts. Spectre accounts exist only to keep track of your own pastes. According to the site, no personally-identifying information is retained as part of your account. You can log in or create an account if you want a record of your pastes; you do not need one just to create and share a single paste.
  • My Pastes. If you are logged in, this is where your own pastes are tracked.

Common snags

  • Submitting an empty paste. Spectre's own error text for this is "You paste nothingness into the void. You are eaten by a grue." If you see it, your input area was empty — add content and submit again.
  • Forgetting the password. If you encrypt a paste and lose the password, the recipient cannot read it. Decide the password before you submit.
  • Choosing the wrong expiration. Expiration is set at creation. If you need a paste to last longer than you first chose, create a new one with a longer window rather than relying on the old link.

Quick decision guide

  • One-off secret or short handoff: Ten Minutes or an Hour, with a password.
  • Something a colleague needs today: a Day.
  • Ongoing reference: Forever, or two Days if you want it to clean itself up.
  • Want a history of what you posted: create an account and use My Pastes.