Shorten URLs, track clicks, extract Open Graph metadata, detect redirects. Free URL toolkit API with Python, JavaScript, and cURL examples.
URL shortening is a core feature in modern web applications — from marketing campaigns and social media sharing to SMS messages and QR codes. Instead of pasting long, ugly URLs, developers use URL shortener APIs to create clean, trackable short links programmatically. This guide covers the best free URL shortener APIs in 2026, including our own URL Toolkit API that goes beyond basic shortening.
A URL shortener API is a REST web service that takes a long URL and returns a shortened version. When someone clicks the short link, they are redirected to the original URL. Most modern URL shortener APIs also provide:
Manually shortening links through a web interface works for one-off tasks, but developers and businesses need API access for:
Our URL Toolkit API goes beyond basic URL shortening. It is a complete URL intelligence platform with six capabilities in one API:
| Feature | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Shorten URL | POST /api/url/shorten | Create a short link with optional custom alias and expiry |
| Expand URL | GET /api/url/expand/{code} | Resolve a short link to its original URL |
| Extract Metadata | GET /api/url/metadata?url=... | Pull title, description, Open Graph data, favicon from any URL |
| Follow Redirects | GET /api/url/redirects?url=... | Trace the full redirect chain of a URL |
| Click Stats | GET /api/url/stats/{code} | Get click count, last accessed time, and referrer data |
| Validate URL | GET /api/url/validate?url=... | Check if a URL is valid, reachable, and safe |
All features are included in the free tier (100 requests/day, no credit card required).
| API | Free Tier | Click Tracking | Custom Aliases | Metadata | Redirect Detection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DevProToolkit | 100/day | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bitly | 1,000/mo | Yes | Paid only | No | No |
| Rebrandly | 5,000/mo | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| TinyURL | 600/mo | Paid only | Yes | No | No |
| Short.io | 1,000/mo | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Bitly is the most well-known URL shortener service. Their API (v4) requires OAuth authentication and offers 1,000 link creations per month on the free tier. Bitly excels at enterprise-grade analytics and branded domains, but the free tier is quite limited and custom back-halves require a paid plan.
Rebrandly focuses on branded links with custom domains. Their free tier is generous at 5,000 links/month but limits advanced analytics and team features to paid plans. The API is REST-based with API key authentication.
TinyURL is the original URL shortener (launched in 2002). Their API offers 600 links/month on the free tier with custom aliases. Click analytics require a paid plan. The API is simple but limited in features compared to newer alternatives.
curl -X POST "https://api.commandsector.in/api/url/shorten" \
-H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"url": "https://example.com/very/long/path/to/page?param=value"}'import requests
API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE = "https://api.commandsector.in"
# Shorten a URL
resp = requests.post(f"{BASE}/api/url/shorten",
json={"url": "https://example.com/my-long-url"},
headers={"X-API-Key": API_KEY})
short = resp.json()
print(f"Short URL: {short['short_url']}")
print(f"Code: {short['code']}")
# Get click stats later
stats = requests.get(f"{BASE}/api/url/stats/{short['code']}",
headers={"X-API-Key": API_KEY}).json()
print(f"Total clicks: {stats['clicks']}")const resp = await fetch(
'https://api.commandsector.in/api/url/metadata?url=https://github.com',
{ headers: { 'X-API-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY' } }
);
const meta = await resp.json();
console.log(`Title: ${meta.title}`);
console.log(`Description: ${meta.description}`);
console.log(`Favicon: ${meta.favicon}`);Unlike basic URL shorteners, the DevProToolkit URL API can extract rich metadata from any URL — including Open Graph tags, Twitter Card data, favicons, and page titles. This is invaluable for building link preview features in chat apps, CMS systems, and social media tools.
Need to know where a link actually goes? The redirect detection endpoint follows the entire chain of HTTP redirects (301, 302, 307, 308) and reports each hop, final destination, and status codes. This is essential for:
Every shortened link includes built-in click tracking. Query the stats endpoint to get total clicks, unique visitors, and timestamps — all included in the free tier.
Yes, the DevProToolkit URL Toolkit API offers a free tier with 100 requests/day across all six endpoints. No credit card required. Pro plans are available for higher volumes.
By default, shortened URLs do not expire. You can optionally set an expiry time when creating a short link.
Yes, pass a custom_alias parameter when shortening a URL. If the alias is available, your short link will use it.
Yes, the metadata endpoint extracts Open Graph tags (og:title, og:description, og:image), Twitter Card data, and standard HTML meta tags from any URL.
The API follows all HTTP redirects (301, 302, 307, 308) up to 10 hops and reports each step including URL, status code, and headers. It detects the final destination URL.
Yes, every shortened URL has built-in click tracking. Use the stats endpoint with your short code to get total clicks, unique visitors, and access timestamps.
Get your free API key and start making requests in minutes.
curl "http://147.224.212.116/api/..." \
-H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"Get a free API key with 100 requests/day. No credit card required.
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