Free shorten API | INBIO Docs

The simplest way to create a short link programmatically. No account, no API key, no configuration — one request in, a short link out. Ideal for scripts, bots, and side projects.

POST https://in.bio/api/shorten

Request

Send a JSON (or form-encoded) body with a single field.

Field	Type	Required	Description
`url`	string	Yes	The destination to shorten. Max 2048 characters; `https://` is assumed when the scheme is omitted.

curl -X POST https://in.bio/api/shorten \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com/very/long/link"}'

const res = await fetch("https://in.bio/api/shorten", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({ url: "https://example.com/very/long/link" }),
});

const { short_url } = await res.json();

import requests

r = requests.post(
    "https://in.bio/api/shorten",
    json={"url": "https://example.com/very/long/link"},
)
short_url = r.json()["short_url"]

$ch = curl_init("https://in.bio/api/shorten");
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => ["Content-Type: application/json"],
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode(["url" => "https://example.com/very/long/link"]),
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
]);
$short_url = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true)["short_url"];

Response

201 Created — the short link plus everything you need to use, preview, or claim it.

{
  "short_url": "https://in.bio/a8K2p",
  "slug": "a8K2p",
  "qr_url": "https://in.bio/a8K2p.png",
  "preview_url": "https://in.bio/preview/a8K2p",
  "claim_url": "https://in.bio/register?claim=…",
  "expires": "Unclaimed anonymous links are removed after a year of inactivity. Claim it with a free account to keep it and see click analytics.",
  "docs": "https://docs.in.bio/api/free-shorten"
}

Field	Type	Description
`short_url`	string	The ready-to-share short link.
`slug`	string	The link’s short code.
`qr_url`	string	A ready-to-use PNG QR code for the link — append `.svg` for a vector version.
`preview_url`	string	A safe preview page showing where the link goes before redirecting.
`claim_url`	string	Sign-up link that attaches this link to a new free account.
`expires`	string	Human-readable retention note for the anonymous link.

Errors

Errors return a single error string with the matching status code.

Status	When
`422 Unprocessable Entity`	Invalid or unsafe URL — a blocked destination, a private/loopback address, or an already-shortened link.
`429 Too Many Requests`	Rate limit reached. Check the `Retry-After` header and retry after the window.

{ "error": "That URL cannot be shortened." }

Rate limits & rules

5 requests per minute per IP, and 100 links per day per IP.
Links are anonymous — they redirect immediately, but can’t be edited or tracked, and unclaimed links are removed after a year of inactivity unless claimed via claim_url.
Every destination runs through the same phishing & malware safety scan as the rest of INBIO; unsafe URLs are rejected.