A short distributed feedback fiber laser with a nearly unidirectional output is fabricated and tested. The short fiber laser is made of a polarization-dependent phase-shift grating fabricated with a vertically polarized 244-nm ultraviolet (UV) laser. A single \pi phase-shift is introduced to a 2-cm grating at a specified position by directly moving the phase mask during UV beam scanning. Test results show that the laser has a single polarization longitudinal mode with 2.6-mW pump threshold. The backward-to- forward output power ratio is approximately 30:1. The relative intensity noise is –88 dB/Hz, and the linewidth is approximately 10 kHz at 75-mW 980-nm pumping. The unidirectional output and short dimension of this short fiber laser make it very useful in sensing applications, especially in multiplexed sensing applications.