Custom Domain Short Links — Quick Start

Create branded short links on your own domain instead of urlz.zip.

Prerequisites

1. A verified and active custom domain in CompactSaaS (Dashboard > Links > Custom Domains)
2. An API key (Dashboard > API Keys)

Step 1: Verify your domain

In the dashboard, go to Links > Custom Domains and add your domain. You'll need to create a CNAME record pointing to the CompactSaaS routing endpoint, then verify and activate it.

Once active, your domain status will show as active in the dashboard and API:

curl https://api.compactsaas.com/v1/links/domains \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

{
  "domains": [
    {
      "domain": "links.example.com",
      "status": "verified",
      "tenantStatus": "active"
    }
  ]
}

Step 2: Create a branded short link

Pass the domain field when creating a short link:

curl -X POST https://api.compactsaas.com/v1/links/shorten \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "targetUrl": "https://example.com/my-page",
    "domain": "links.example.com",
    "customCode": "my-link"
  }'

{
  "link": {
    "shortCode": "my-link",
    "shortUrl": "https://links.example.com/my-link",
    "targetUrl": "https://example.com/my-page",
    "domain": "links.example.com",
    "enabled": true
  }
}

The short link is now live at https://links.example.com/my-link and redirects to https://example.com/my-page.

Options

Dashboard

You can also create branded short links from the dashboard. When you have an active custom domain, the Shorten URL dialog shows a domain dropdown.

Wait a few seconds before sharing a brand-new link

When you create or update a short link, it takes a few seconds (usually 3–10) for the link to be available everywhere in the world. If someone clicks during that window, the link still works — but in rare cases their browser can briefly cache a stale result. Wait ~10 seconds before sharing a brand-new link with someone likely to click immediately.

The dashboard's Shorten URL flow shows a 10-second "Provisioning to edge" indicator and disables the Copy button until the link is ready. If you're creating links via the API, build a similar wait into your client.

Controlling how long browsers cache a redirect

Set ttl on the link to control how long browsers and intermediate caches remember the redirect:

For most users the default is fine. Use ttl: 0 if you frequently change where a link points and want updates to be immediate.

Notes

• The domain must be verified and active for your team. Unverified domains are rejected.
• Apex domains (e.g., example.com) are not supported — only subdomains (links.example.com, go.example.com). Domain verification requires a CNAME record, and DNS standards (RFC 1034) don't allow CNAMEs at the zone apex. Use a subdomain like links.yourdomain.com or go.yourdomain.com.
• Short codes are unique per domain — links.example.com/abc and urlz.zip/abc are independent.
• Edge redirects are sub-millisecond. New links may take a few seconds to be available everywhere (see above).
• Custom domain links work with analytics tracking (analyticsEnabled: true).