URL Shortener API
Create branded short links, track every click, and manage millions of URLs through one REST API. Free to start, built to scale.
1,000 free API calls/month · No credit card · OpenAPI 3.0 spec · GDPR-compliant
# Shorten a URL in one call
curl -X POST https://app.linklyhq.com/api/v1/link \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"url": "https://example.com/very-long-url-here",
"name": "summer-campaign",
"domain_id": 123
}'
# Response
{
"id": "abc123",
"full_url": "https://yourbrand.com/summer-campaign",
"created_at": "2026-05-12T13:07:15Z"
}Everything you need to ship branded short links at scale
One REST API. Create, brand, route, and analyse every link your app sends.
Create and update links
Programmatically create, update, or delete short links via REST. Bulk create up to 10,000 URLs per request. Each link gets click tracking, geo data, and device analytics out of the box.
Branded custom domains
Use your own domain (yourbrand.com/promo) on every API-created link. Connect unlimited custom domains, automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt, no DNS expertise required.
Real-time click webhooks
Subscribe to click events and receive POST callbacks within seconds. Use for real-time attribution, fraud detection, conversion tracking, or piping clicks into your data warehouse.
Analytics API
Pull click counts, geographic breakdown, device + OS data, and referrer attribution via REST. Export as JSON or stream into your BI tool. Per-link or aggregated across your account.
Built for developers — get your first short link in 5 minutes
Authenticate with a bearer token, POST a URL, get back a short link. Same request shape in any language.
curl -X POST https://app.linklyhq.com/api/v1/link \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"url": "https://example.com/article", "name": "blog-share"}'What developers build with Linkly
SMS marketing at scale
Shorten campaign URLs in real time as SMS sends fire. Branded short links lift CTR 30–40% over generic shorteners and respect SMS character limits.
Learn more about SMS marketingTransactional sends
Magic links, password resets, order confirmations, appointment reminders. Permanent short links with 99.9% uptime SLA — built for sends you can't afford to lose.
Learn more about transactional linksIn-app sharing
Generate branded short links when your users hit "Share". Track which channels drive viral loops and which posts convert. Webhook every click into your analytics.
Learn more about share APIsWhy developers choose Linkly's API
The link shortener API market is split between underpowered free tools and overpriced enterprise platforms. Linkly sits in the middle: real features on the free tier, transparent pricing at scale.
| Capability | Linkly | Bitly | Rebrandly | Short.io |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier with custom domain | 10 links/mo | |||
| Bulk create endpoint | up to 10k/req | Paid only | Paid only | |
| Webhook on click events | all plans | Paid only | Paid only | Paid only |
| Branded SSL certificates | automatic | Paid only | Paid only | |
| OpenAPI spec | Partial | |||
| Self-serve API access | instant | |||
| GDPR + DPA available |
Comparison based on publicly listed plan features at the time of writing. Competitor pricing and limits change frequently — check each provider's site for current details.
Simple, scaling pricing
Build on the free tier. Upgrade only when your traffic grows.
Free
For prototyping and side projects
- 1,000 API calls / month
- 500 link clicks / month
- 1 custom domain
- Full webhook + analytics API
- Community support
Growth
For teams shipping production traffic
- 100,000 API calls / month
- 50,000 link clicks / month
- Unlimited custom domains
- Priority email support
- 99.9% uptime SLA
Enterprise
For high-volume senders
- Unlimited API calls
- Volume-based click pricing
- Dedicated SLA
- SSO, audit log, custom DPA
- Slack-based support
Need a custom volume? Send us your monthly link + click forecast and we'll build a quote — contact sales. See full pricing →
Security & compliance, built in
URL shortener API — frequently asked questions
- Is the URL shortener API free to use?
- Yes. Linkly's free plan includes 1,000 API calls per month and 500 link clicks per month, with one custom domain and full access to the analytics and webhook APIs. No credit card required to sign up.
- How do I authenticate API requests?
- Generate an API key in your Linkly dashboard and pass it in the Authorization header as "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY". API keys can be scoped per workspace and rotated at any time. OAuth 2.0 is available on enterprise plans.
- What's the API rate limit?
- 100 requests per second per API key on Growth plans, with burst capacity to 500 requests per second. Enterprise plans include dedicated rate limits scaled to your usage. Rate limit headers are returned on every response so your client can self-throttle.
- Can I create branded short links via the API?
- Yes. Connect a custom domain to your Linkly account (one-time DNS step) and pass domain_id in your API requests. Every link created via the API will use your branded domain — for example yourbrand.com/summer-sale instead of linkly.link/abc.
- Does Linkly provide webhooks for click events?
- Yes. Subscribe to a webhook endpoint and Linkly POSTs every click event to your URL within seconds. Payloads include link ID, click timestamp, geographic data, device and browser info, and referrer. Used for real-time attribution, fraud detection, and warehouse pipelines.
- Is there an OpenAPI spec?
- Yes. Linkly publishes an OpenAPI 3.0 spec that's importable into Postman, Insomnia, and most API client generators. The spec stays in sync with production — no version drift.
- What happens if I exceed my plan's click limit?
- Links keep redirecting — Linkly does not break in-the-wild links if you exceed your plan limits. You're notified by email and prompted to upgrade. This matters most for transactional senders who can't afford a broken link in a password-reset email.
- How do I handle high-volume SMS sends — say, 10 million links per month?
- Bulk create endpoints accept up to 10,000 URLs per request. Combined with the burst rate limits and dedicated enterprise infrastructure, Linkly customers ship 10M+ SMS links per month in production. Contact sales for a volume quote and dedicated SLA.
- What's Linkly's uptime SLA?
- 99.9% measured on the redirect path (the critical surface). Status page at status.linklyhq.com shows historical uptime. Enterprise plans include a contractual SLA with service credits.
- Does the API support GDPR-compliant data handling?
- Yes. Linkly is GDPR-compliant by default, with EU data residency available on enterprise plans. A Data Processing Addendum is available for all paid customers. The webhook payloads can be configured to exclude personally identifiable information for stricter compliance needs.
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