🔗 URL Shortener — Short Links & Custom Aliases (spoold.com/s)

Free URL shortener and link shortener: paste a long http or https URL, optionally choose a custom short name, and get a compact link like https://spoold.com/s/your-alias that redirects (HTTP 302) to the destination. 90-day link lifetime, optional custom alias (3–32 characters), random short IDs when you skip a name, copy / open / QR code from the result. Described in product copy as rate limited; shortening spoold.com itself is blocked.

Live tool: spoold.com/tools/url/shortener · Short link base: https://spoold.com/s/…

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📑 Table of contents

• What this tool is for
• Who searches for this (keywords)
• Features
• How to use
• Rules & limits
• Related tools
• Tech stack
• Repository

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🎯 What this tool is for

Use this online URL shortener when you need:

• A short link for chats, slides, or social bios without running your own redirect service.
• A memorable custom URL (…/s/my-launch) instead of a random slug.
• A quick path to a QR code for the short URL (opens Spoold’s QR tool with the link pre-filled).

Part of Spoold — web and HTTP utilities in one place.

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🔎 Who searches for this (keywords)

url shortener, short link, link shortener, custom short url, short url generator, free url shortener, shorten url online, create short link, spoold.com/s, tiny url style, redirect short url, branded short link (custom slug).

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✨ Features

Area	What you get
Long URL	Paste any allowed http/https URL (length capped; see limits).
Custom alias	Optional 3–32 chars: letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores; preview shows final spoold.com/s/… shape.
Random ID	If you leave alias empty, the API tries a random short id until one is free.
Redirect	GET /s/{id} → 302 to the stored long URL; Cache-Control hints for repeat visits.
TTL	Mappings stored with a 90-day expiry (see code: SHORT_URL_TTL).
Safety	Blocklist for shortening spoold.com (and related hosts); only http/https protocols.
After create	Copy, open, QR code (links to /tools/qr?text=…), shorten another.

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👣 How to use

1. Open URL Shortener.
2. Paste the long URL.
3. Optionally enter a custom short name and check the preview.
4. Click Shorten URL, then copy or open the short link, or open QR code.

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⚙️ Rules & limits

• Protocols: http and https only.
• Length: Long URL max 2048 characters (API validation).
• Custom id: 3–32 characters, [a-zA-Z0-9_-] (normalized to lowercase; spaces become hyphens in the UI).
• Expiry: 90 days from creation (Redis TTL); expired links stop resolving.
• Blocked destinations: You cannot shorten URLs whose host is spoold.com (abuse prevention); optional env SHORTENER_BLOCKED_HOSTS can extend the list.
• Collisions: If a custom name is taken, the API returns 409 / “already taken” — pick another alias.
• Rate limiting: Product messaging references rate limits on creation; exact limits depend on deployment.

Disclaimer: Short links redirect visitors to third-party sites. Only shorten URLs you trust; phishing and abuse violate normal acceptable use.

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🔗 Related tools

• URL inspect — Parse and edit query parameters.
• QR Code — Generate a QR for your short link (linked from the result screen).

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🛠️ Tech stack

• Next.js App Router; POST /api/shorten (Edge) creates links; GET /s/[id] (Edge) resolves redirects.
• Redis (Upstash-compatible client) stores id → { url, createdAt } with SET NX and TTL.
• No client-only storage for the mapping — creation hits the API; redirects are server-side.

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🐙 Repository

github.com/thespoold/spoold — pnpm install && pnpm dev, then open /tools/url/shortener.

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Spoold — Paste. Detect. Do. · spoold.com