URL ShortenerShorten, track, and manage URLs at scale
The Helix URL Shortener API turns long URLs into short, branded links with click tracking, custom aliases, expiration, and bulk operations. It's a Bitly alternative built for developers — no UI lock-in, no per-link pricing, just clean REST endpoints.
- Free tier with 100 requests/month
- Fast, cached responses
- 99.9% uptime target
- Standard REST + JSON
What is the URL Shortener API?
The Helix URL Shortener API turns long URLs into short, branded links with click tracking, custom aliases, expiration, and bulk operations. It's a Bitly alternative built for developers — no UI lock-in, no per-link pricing, just clean REST endpoints.
How it works
- 1POST a URL to /shorten — get back a short code instantly.
- 2Optionally specify a custom alias, expiration date, or click limit.
- 3Resolve via GET /resolve/{code} for analytics and redirect handling.
- 4Bulk-shorten up to 100 URLs in one request with /bulk.
- 5Per-link click stats: total hits, unique visitors, referrer, country, device.
Endpoints
4 REST endpoints, all returning consistent JSON.
/shortenCreate short URL
/resolve/{code}Resolve short URL to original
/stats/{code}Get click stats
/bulkShorten up to 10 URLs
Code in 5 languages
Copy and paste into your project. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your RapidAPI key.
// URL Shortener API
const response = await fetch(
"https://url-shortener-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com/shorten",
{
method: "POST",
headers: {
"X-RapidAPI-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
"X-RapidAPI-Host": "url-shortener-by-helix-api.p.rapidapi.com",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
body: JSON.stringify({ "query": "your input" })
}
);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);What developers build with this API
Real use cases from production deployments.
Marketing Attribution at Scale
Tag every campaign URL with a unique short code. See which channel, ad, influencer, or piece of content actually drives clicks — no UTM headaches, no Google Analytics setup. Data is in your hands.
SMS and Twitter Where Length Matters
SMS has a 160-char limit. Twitter/X counts every char. A 200-char URL with tracking parameters becomes a 22-char short link — leaving room for actual copy.
Email Newsletters with Real Click Data
Replace raw links with short ones in your Mailchimp/Brevo emails. Get per-link click stats without relying on your ESP's blunt 'clicks' metric — see exactly which CTA worked.
Affiliate Link Cloaking
Long Amazon/CJ/Impact affiliate URLs look spammy. Cloak them with branded short codes for a clean look in Instagram bios, YouTube descriptions, and email signatures.
QR Code Pairing
Pair every QR you generate with our QR Code API to a shortened tracking URL. You'll know exactly how many people scanned which physical asset.
Pricing
All tiers include this API. No credit card for free tier.
BASIC
Free
- ✓ 100 reqs/month
- ✓ Hard limit
- ✓ All endpoints
PRO
$9.99/mo
- ✓ 10,000/month
- ✓ +$0.005 each
- ✓ All endpoints
ULTRA
$29.99/mo
- ✓ 100,000/month
- ✓ +$0.002 each
- ✓ All endpoints
MEGA
$99.99/mo
- ✓ 1,000,000/month
- ✓ +$0.001 each
- ✓ All endpoints
Frequently asked questions
Real answers to questions developers ask before integrating.