Engineered for Scalability, Speed, and Privacy
Discover the architectural foundations that power ShortLink's high-speed redirect pipeline, dual-tier telemetry, and multi-tenant security.
Low-Latency Edge Redirect Engine
Every incoming short link resolves against an in-memory Redis cluster before querying relational storage. Cache hits return instantaneous 301, 302, 307, or 308 HTTP redirects.
Technical Highlights
- In-memory O(1) hash resolution
- 24-hour automatic cache warming TTL
- Transparent in-memory fallback on cluster maintenance
- Customizable HTTP redirect response status codes
Privacy-Preserving Salted Analytics
Dual-engine analytics: high-resolution immutable raw event logs decoupled from pre-aggregated daily summaries. Never perform slow full-table scans when loading reports.
Technical Highlights
- Irreversible salted HMAC-SHA256 IP hashing (GDPR compliant)
- Zero storage of raw personal visitor identifiers
- Geographic attribution via edge headers
- Device, operating system, and browser platform split
Server-Side SSRF & Network Protection
Protects internal networks, cloud services, and visitors by rigorously validating all destination URLs before creating or resolving links.
Technical Highlights
- Whitelists only http: and https: protocols
- Rejects private IPv4 ranges (10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16)
- Blocks cloud metadata endpoints (169.254.169.254)
- Detects self-referential redirect loops
Branded Custom Domains
Increase brand recall and trust by serving shortened links from your own organizational domains rather than a shared generic domain.
Technical Highlights
- Support for apex domains and vanity subdomains
- Automatic TLS / SSL certificate lifecycle
- Custom 404 fallback routing destinations
- Complete domain ownership CNAME verification
Custom Vanity Aliases
Assign memorable human-readable keywords to campaigns while guaranteed protection against collisions with platform system routes.
Technical Highlights
- Centralized 70+ reserved routing registry
- Strict 3-40 character alphanumeric formatting
- Zero collision hazard with Next.js application routes
- Immediate cache invalidation upon slug alteration
Programmatic REST API & Webhooks
Integrate shortening into automated publishing pipelines, mobile apps, and marketing dashboards using authenticated API tokens.
Technical Highlights
- Predictable sliding-window rate limit protection
- SHA-256 hashed API key validation
- JSON REST endpoints with RFC-compliant error envelopes
- Webhook triggers for click milestones and link updates