TL;DR
- Generate short URLs in 50ms with custom aliases (3-20 characters)
- Set expiration dates from 1 hour to never expire with automatic cleanup
- Track every click with real-time analytics including location and device data
- Perfect for marketing campaigns: 10,000 URLs processed in 8 minutes for 10,000 points ($100)
- Get comprehensive analytics with daily/weekly/monthly aggregates and conversion tracking
Custom Aliases & Vanity URLs
Create branded, memorable short links with custom slugs
Custom aliases transform generic short URLs into branded, memorable links that enhance trust and click-through rates. Our API provides intelligent collision detection and validation to ensure your custom short codes are unique and valid.
Alias Customization Features
Custom Slugs
Choose your own short code (3-20 alphanumeric characters with hyphens)
Collision Detection
Automatic validation ensures your alias is available and unique
Vanity URLs
Create branded links that match your campaign or brand name
Auto-Generation
Let the tool generate a random, guaranteed-unique short code
Creating Custom Aliases
Generate short URLs with custom aliases for brand consistency:
blogUrlShortener.customAliases.codeExample.codeAlias Technical Specifications
Character Requirements
Alphanumeric (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) and hyphens
Length Constraints
3-20 characters
Collision Handling
Instant validation with alternative suggestions
Case Sensitivity
Case-insensitive (summer25 = SUMMER25)
Common Use Cases
- • Marketing campaigns with branded short codes (e.g., /blackfriday)
- • Social media posts with memorable vanity URLs
- • QR code campaigns with clean, scannable links
- • Event promotions with easy-to-remember short URLs
Link Expiration & Time-to-Live
Set automatic expiration for temporary campaigns
Expiration dates provide automatic link lifecycle management, perfect for time-sensitive campaigns, temporary promotions, or security-focused applications. Set TTL from 1 hour to never expire, with automatic cleanup and optional renewal.
Expiration Management Features
Flexible TTL
Set expiration from 1 hour to permanent (never expire)
Automatic Cleanup
Expired links are automatically deactivated and removed
Renewal Options
Extend expiration dates before links expire
Custom Redirect
Set a fallback URL for expired links
Setting Expiration Dates
Configure link expiration for time-sensitive campaigns:
blogUrlShortener.expirationDates.codeExample.codeExpiration Technical Specifications
Minimum TTL
1 hour
Maximum TTL
10 years or permanent
Cleanup Frequency
Every 15 minutes
Renewal Grace Period
Up to 24 hours after expiration
Common Use Cases
- • Seasonal campaigns (90-day expiration for summer sale)
- • Event tickets (expire 1 hour after event ends)
- • Limited-time offers (24-48 hour flash sales)
- • Security-sensitive links (1-hour expiration for password resets)
Real-Time Click Tracking
Monitor every click with detailed analytics
Click tracking provides real-time insights into link performance with comprehensive data including geographic location, device information, referrer sources, and timestamps. Every click is captured and processed in real-time for immediate visibility.
Tracking Capabilities
Real-Time Data
Instant click tracking with sub-second latency
Geographic Location
Country, region, and city-level location data
Device Detection
Browser, OS, device type, and screen size
Referrer Tracking
Source identification (social media, email, direct)
Retrieving Click Data
Access real-time and historical click analytics:
blogUrlShortener.clickTracking.codeExample.codeTracking Technical Specifications
Processing Latency
< 100ms per click
Data Retention
90 days detailed, 2 years aggregated
Geographic Accuracy
City-level (95% accuracy)
Privacy Compliance
GDPR & CCPA compliant (no PII stored)
Common Use Cases
- • Campaign performance monitoring across channels
- • A/B testing different link destinations
- • Geographic targeting validation
- • ROI calculation for marketing spend
Comprehensive Analytics
Deep insights into link performance and engagement
Analytics transforms raw click data into actionable insights with daily, weekly, and monthly aggregates, conversion tracking, engagement metrics, and A/B testing capabilities. Understand not just how many clicks, but the quality and impact of those clicks.
Analytics Features
Aggregated Reports
Daily/weekly/monthly summaries with trend analysis
Conversion Tracking
Track clicks through to final conversions
A/B Testing
Compare performance of different destinations
Engagement Metrics
Time on site, bounce rate, and user journey
Advanced Analytics Queries
Extract detailed insights from link performance:
blogUrlShortener.analytics.codeExample.codeAnalytics Technical Specifications
Update Frequency
Real-time (< 5 second delay)
Aggregation Intervals
Hourly, daily, weekly, monthly
Custom Metrics
30+ predefined metrics available
Export Formats
JSON, CSV, Excel
Common Use Cases
- • Campaign ROI analysis with revenue attribution
- • Channel performance comparison (email vs. social)
- • Geographic expansion decisions based on click data
- • Conversion funnel optimization with A/B testing
Implementation Guide
Get started with URL Shortener
Integrate URL shortening into your application with three simple steps. Our SDK handles authentication, error handling, and rate limiting automatically.
Basic URL Shortening
Create a simple short URL:
blogUrlShortener.implementation.basicExample.codeCustom Alias with Expiration
Create a branded short URL with automatic expiration:
blogUrlShortener.implementation.advancedExample.codeBulk Creation with Analytics
Process multiple URLs with comprehensive tracking:
blogUrlShortener.implementation.bulkExample.codeIntegration Steps
Get API Key
Sign up at apphighway.com and create an API key
Configure Client
Initialize with your API key
Create Short URLs
Call create() with your long URL
Track Performance
Monitor clicks and conversions
Real-World Example
Marketing Agency Campaign Management
Scenario
A marketing agency manages campaigns for 50 clients, creating 10,000 trackable URLs across email, social media, and paid advertising channels. They need branded short links with expiration dates and comprehensive analytics.
Challenge
- • 10,000 long marketing URLs with complex UTM parameters
- • Need branded short codes for each campaign and channel
- • 90-day expiration for seasonal campaigns
- • Real-time click tracking with geographic and device data
- • Conversion tracking and ROI calculation
- • Client-specific analytics dashboards
Solution with URL Shortener
blogUrlShortener.realWorldExample.solution.codeResults
URLs Created
10,000 branded short links
Processing Time
8 minutes (bulk creation)
Total Clicks Tracked
5.2 million clicks
Unique Visitors
3.1 million unique visitors
Conversion Rate
23.4% average across campaigns
Click-Through Improvement
+23% vs. long URLs
Time Saved
40 hours/month on link management
Points Cost
10,000 points ($100)
Cost per URL
$0.01 per trackable short link
Key Benefits
- • Branded short links improve trust and click-through rates by 23%
- • Real-time analytics enable rapid campaign optimization
- • Automatic expiration eliminates manual link cleanup
- • Per-client dashboards simplify reporting and billing
- • Conversion tracking proves ROI to clients
- • Geographic data informs targeting decisions
Error Handling
Common errors and solutions
Handle API errors gracefully with proper error codes and retry logic.
Custom Alias Already Exists (ALIAS_TAKEN)
The requested custom alias is already in use by another URL.
Solution:
Check alias availability first with checkAlias() or use the suggested alternative. Consider adding a version suffix (e.g., 'summer25-v2').
Invalid URL Format (INVALID_URL)
The provided URL is malformed or uses an unsupported protocol.
Solution:
Ensure the URL starts with http:// or https:// and follows standard URL formatting. The API only supports HTTP(S) protocols.
Link Has Expired (EXPIRED_LINK)
The short URL has passed its expiration date and is no longer active.
Solution:
Create a new short URL or extend the expiration date within the grace period. Check the expires_at field before using old links.
Not Enough Points (INSUFFICIENT_POINTS)
Your account doesn't have enough points to create new short URLs.
Solution:
Purchase additional points or reduce the number of URLs being created. Each URL creation costs 1 point.
Error Handling Best Practices
- • Always check alias availability before creation
- • Implement exponential backoff for rate limit errors
- • Cache successful responses to reduce API calls
- • Validate URLs client-side before API submission
- • Monitor expiration dates and renew proactively
- • Log all errors for debugging and analytics
Best Practices
Optimize your URL shortening workflow
Use Descriptive Aliases
Choose custom aliases that reflect the content or campaign (e.g., 'summer-sale' instead of 'xyz123'). This improves trust and memorability.
Set Appropriate Expiration
Match expiration dates to campaign duration. Use shorter TTL for security-sensitive links (password resets) and longer TTL for evergreen content.
Tag for Organization
Use tags to group related URLs (by campaign, client, channel). This simplifies analytics queries and bulk operations.
Monitor Expiring Links
Set up alerts for links expiring soon. Proactively extend important campaigns or update marketing materials.
Leverage Bulk Operations
Use bulkCreate() for large campaigns to save time and get consistent creation timestamps. Bulk operations are optimized for speed.
Track Conversions
Enable conversion tracking to measure true campaign effectiveness beyond clicks. This provides ROI data for optimization.
Use Metadata Fields
Store campaign IDs, budgets, and other context in metadata. This enables rich analytics and reporting without external databases.
Implement QR Codes
Combine short URLs with QR code generation for offline marketing. Short aliases create cleaner, more scannable QR codes.
Next Steps
Get API Access
Sign up for AppHighway and get your API key from the dashboard.
Explore the API
Read the complete API documentation and test endpoints in the interactive explorer.
Try the Demo
Use our interactive demo to create short URLs and see real-time analytics.
Integrate the SDK
Install the SDK and integrate URL shortening into your application in minutes.
Conclusion
The URL Shortener transforms link management from a manual chore into an automated, data-driven process. With custom aliases, expiration dates, and comprehensive analytics, you can create branded short links that track performance in real-time. Whether you're managing a small campaign or 10,000 URLs across 50 clients, our API scales effortlessly while maintaining 50ms response times. At just 1 point per URL ($0.01), it's the most cost-effective way to shorten, track, and optimize your links. Start creating trackable short URLs today and gain insights that drive better marketing decisions.