Short Links API

Create branded short links with aliases, expiry, passwords, click limits, and analytics.

API FAQ

Get API Key Buy Credits

Popular use-cases

Campaign tracking

Short, branded links for UTM-tagged campaigns you can rotate later.

QR codes

Print-friendly QR links for menus, events and offline media.

Password-protected

Gate sensitive docs with a simple password — no account required.

Endpoint:

99.9 % Uptime

— Response

25 req/s

0.002 Credits / request

Create Short Link (Basic)


POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/create-basic

Parameter	Type	Req.	Description
`api_key`	string	yes	Your API key
`original_url`	string	yes	Target URL (scheme auto-added if missing)
`alias`	string	opt	Human alias (1–100, [A-Za-z0-9\-_])
`short_code`	string	opt	Custom short code (else auto 7 chars)
`password`	string	opt	Optional access password
`expires_at`	ISO 8601	opt	Expiry timestamp
`click_limit`	int	opt	Max total clicks
`one_time`	bool	opt	Allow only a single click
`settings`	array<{key,value}>	opt	Custom metadata

Example

curl -X POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/create-basic \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "api_key": "YOUR_KEY",
  "original_url": "https://example.com/pricing",
  "alias": "docs-demo"
}'

Response Example

{
  "data": {
    "original_url": "https://example.com/pricing",
    "short_code": "AB12CDE",
    "alias": "docs-demo",
    "public_url": "https://yeb.to/l/docs-demo",
    "expires_at": null,
    "click_limit": null,
    "one_time": false,
    "advanced_analytics": false,
    "total_clicks": 0,
    "created_at": "2025-01-01T12:00:00Z",
    "updated_at": "2025-01-01T12:00:00Z"
  }
}

{"error":"original_url is required","code":422}

Response Codes

Code	Description
200 Success	Request processed OK.
400 Bad Request	Input validation failed.
401 Unauthorized	Missing / wrong API key.
403 Forbidden	Key inactive or not allowed.
429 Rate Limit	Too many requests.
500 Server Error	Unexpected failure.

Create Short Link (Advanced)


POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/create-advanced

Parameter	Type	Req.	Description
`api_key`	string	yes	Your API key
`original_url`	string	yes	Target URL (scheme auto-added if missing)
`alias`	string	opt	Human alias (1–100, [A-Za-z0-9\-_])
`short_code`	string	opt	Custom short code (else auto 7 chars)
`password`	string	opt	Optional access password
`expires_at`	ISO 8601	opt	Expiry timestamp
`click_limit`	int	opt	Max total clicks
`one_time`	bool	opt	Allow only a single click
`settings`	array<{key,value}>	opt	Custom metadata

Example

curl -X POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/create-advanced \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "api_key": "YOUR_KEY",
  "original_url": "https://example.com/pricing",
  "alias": "docs-demo",
  "click_limit": 100,
  "expires_at": "2025-12-31T23:59:00Z"
}'

Response Example

{
  "data": {
    "original_url": "https://example.com/pricing",
    "short_code": "AB12CDE",
    "alias": "docs-demo",
    "public_url": "https://yeb.to/l/docs-demo",
    "expires_at": "2025-12-31T23:59:00Z",
    "click_limit": 100,
    "one_time": false,
    "advanced_analytics": true,
    "total_clicks": 0,
    "created_at": "2025-01-01T12:00:00Z",
    "updated_at": "2025-01-01T12:00:00Z"
  }
}

{"error":"original_url is required","code":422}

Response Codes

Code	Description
200 Success	Request processed OK.
400 Bad Request	Input validation failed.
401 Unauthorized	Missing / wrong API key.
403 Forbidden	Key inactive or not allowed.
429 Rate Limit	Too many requests.
500 Server Error	Unexpected failure.

Get Short Link


POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/get

Parameter	Type	Req.	Description
`api_key`	string	yes	Your API key
`code`	string	yes	Alias or short_code

Example

curl -X POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/get \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "api_key": "YOUR_KEY",
  "code": "docs-demo"
}'

Response Example

{
  "data": {
    "original_url": "https://example.com/pricing",
    "short_code": "AB12CDE",
    "alias": "docs-demo",
    "public_url": "https://yeb.to/l/docs-demo",
    "expires_at": null,
    "click_limit": null,
    "one_time": false,
    "advanced_analytics": false,
    "total_clicks": 0,
    "created_at": "2025-01-01T12:00:00Z",
    "updated_at": "2025-01-01T12:00:00Z"
  }
}

{"error":"Short link not found","code":404}

Response Codes

Code	Description
200 Success	Request processed OK.
400 Bad Request	Input validation failed.
401 Unauthorized	Missing / wrong API key.
403 Forbidden	Key inactive or not allowed.
429 Rate Limit	Too many requests.
500 Server Error	Unexpected failure.

Update Short Link


POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/update

Parameter	Type	Req.	Description
`api_key`	string	yes	Your API key
`code`	string	yes	Alias or short_code to update
`original_url`	string	opt	New target URL
`alias`	string	opt	New alias
`short_code`	string	opt	New short code
`password`	string	opt	Set password (empty string to clear)
`expires_at`	ISO 8601	opt	New expiry
`click_limit`	int	opt	New limit
`one_time`	bool	opt	Enable/disable single-use
`advanced_analytics`	bool	opt	Enable/disable advanced analytics
`settings`	array<{key,value}>	opt	Replace settings

Example

curl -X POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/update \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "api_key": "YOUR_KEY",
  "code": "docs-demo",
  "click_limit": 100,
  "expires_at": "2025-12-31T23:59:00Z"
}'

Response Example

{
  "data": {
    "original_url": "https://example.com/pricing",
    "short_code": "AB12CDE",
    "alias": "docs-demo",
    "public_url": "https://yeb.to/l/docs-demo",
    "expires_at": "2025-12-31T23:59:00Z",
    "click_limit": 100,
    "one_time": false,
    "advanced_analytics": false,
    "total_clicks": 0,
    "created_at": "2025-01-01T12:00:00Z",
    "updated_at": "2025-01-10T12:00:00Z"
  }
}

{"error":"code is required","code":422}

Response Codes

Code	Description
200 Success	Request processed OK.
400 Bad Request	Input validation failed.
401 Unauthorized	Missing / wrong API key.
403 Forbidden	Key inactive or not allowed.
429 Rate Limit	Too many requests.
500 Server Error	Unexpected failure.

Delete Short Link


POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/delete

Parameter	Type	Req.	Description
`api_key`	string	yes	Your API key
`code`	string	yes	Alias or short_code

Example

curl -X POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/delete \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "api_key": "YOUR_KEY",
  "code": "docs-demo"
}'

Response Example

{
  "data": { "deleted": true, "code": "docs-demo" }
}

{"error":"Short link not found","code":404}

Response Codes

Code	Description
200 Success	Request processed OK.
400 Bad Request	Input validation failed.
401 Unauthorized	Missing / wrong API key.
403 Forbidden	Key inactive or not allowed.
429 Rate Limit	Too many requests.
500 Server Error	Unexpected failure.

Short Link Stats


POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/stats

Parameter	Type	Req.	Description
`api_key`	string	yes	Your API key
`code`	string	yes	Alias or short_code
`period`	enum	opt	`7d` \| `30d` \| `90d` (default: `30d`)
`tz`	string	opt	Timezone label (informational)
`limit_recent`	int	opt	Recent clicks to return (0–200, default 20)

Example

curl -X POST https://api.yeb.to/v1/short-links/stats \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "api_key": "YOUR_KEY",
  "code": "docs-demo",
  "period": "30d",
  "limit_recent": 10
}'

Response Example

{
  "data": {
    "code": "docs-demo",
    "from": "2025-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "to": "2025-01-31T00:00:00Z",
    "tz": "UTC",
    "summary": {
      "total_clicks": 42,
      "last_click_at": "2025-01-30T20:05:00Z",
      "unique_countries": 8
    },
    "recent_clicks": [
      {"id":123,"ip":"1.2.3.4","user_agent":"...","ts":"2025-01-30T20:05:00Z"}
    ],
    "by_country": [{"key":"US","count":20}],
    "by_device": [{"key":"mobile","count":30}],
    "by_browser": [{"key":"Chrome","count":25}],
    "by_os": [{"key":"Android","count":18}]
  }
}

{"error":"code is required","code":422}

Response Codes

Code	Description
200 Success	Request processed OK.
400 Bad Request	Input validation failed.
401 Unauthorized	Missing / wrong API key.
403 Forbidden	Key inactive or not allowed.
429 Rate Limit	Too many requests.
500 Server Error	Unexpected failure.

Frequently Asked Questions

MaxMind GeoLite2 data is typically accurate to city level for 65–70% of IPv4 addresses worldwide.

For privacy and simplicity we normalize all “not available” states (expired, consumed, disabled, click limit reached) to 404.

Yes, if the new alias/short_code is unique across both columns. The API enforces global uniqueness.

Default burst is 20 req/s per API key (may vary by plan). Daily and monthly quotas can also apply.

Creating a link consumes credits. Viewing stats does as well. Password views/attempts themselves are recorded but do not individually bill.

Uniques are approximated by distinct IP addresses observed before the current event.

Only you. Access checks match your user_id (web) or any API key you own (API). Requests from others resolve as 404.

Yes. Every request, even those resulting in errors, consumes credits. This is because your credits are strictly tied to the number of requests, regardless of success or failure. However, if the error is clearly due to a platform problem on our end, we’ll recover those credits for you.

Contact us at [email protected]. We take feedback seriously—if your bug report or feature request is meaningful, we can fix or improve the API quickly and grant you 50 free credits as a thank you.

It depends on the API and sometimes even on the endpoint. Some endpoints use data from external sources, which may have stricter limits. We also enforce limits to prevent abuse and keep our platform stable. Check the docs for the specific rate limit for each endpoint.

We operate on a credit system. Buy once—credits never expire. They’re non-refundable units for making API calls (requests). Simple, fair, and you top up only when you need more.

Every HTTP call is one request. Each request consumes a number of credits depending on the endpoint. In most cases, you can make thousands of requests with just one credit—but always check each endpoint for its cost.

Yes. Your credits never expire until you use them, but they are non-refundable.

Credits are non-refundable. Only buy what you need—you can always top-up later. If we screw up and it costs you, we’ll fix it.

Prices are set in credits, not dollars. Each endpoint lists its own cost—see the “Credits / request” badge above. You’ll always know exactly what you’re spending.

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$10

100 credits

Short Links API

Popular use-cases

Campaign tracking

QR codes

Password-protected

Create Short Link (Basic)

Example

Response Example

Response Codes

Create Short Link (Advanced)

Example

Response Example

Response Codes

Get Short Link

Example

Response Example

Response Codes

Update Short Link

Example

Response Example

Response Codes

Delete Short Link

Example

Response Example

Response Codes

Short Link Stats

Example

Response Example

Response Codes

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate is the city-level database?

Why do expired or one-time links return 404 instead of 410?

Can I change the alias later?

What is the rate limit?

Do password page views or attempts consume extra credits?

How do you count unique clicks?

Who can access my link data?

Do requests with errors count and cost credits?

I found a bug or want customizations in the APIs. What do I do?

What is the rate limit?

How does payment and usage work?

What’s the difference between a credit and a request?

Do unused credits roll over?

Do you offer refunds?

How much does each API call cost?