URL Unshortener API

About the URL Unshortener API

URL Unshortener works by following the shortened URL's HTTP redirects to its final destination. It returns the resolved URL, the destination domain, the number of redirect hops, and the full hop-by-hop redirect chain — so you can see exactly where a link goes and which intermediate domains it passes through before trusting it.

What people use it for

Malicious Link Screening

Screen user-submitted short links in messaging platforms by resolving them to their final destination domain before security filters evaluate the URL.

Social Media Moderation

When forum commenters post shortened URLs, resolve the link destination to flag forbidden affiliate networks or banned domains.

Email Gateway Scanning

Corporate mail scanners check incoming emails for shortened links, inspecting the resolved destination URL and redirect count to detect evasion tactics.

Affiliate Link Auditing

Verify affiliate campaign redirects across ad networks by extracting the destination domain and confirming whether tracking links reach active target sites.

Ways to call it

One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.

JSON

Default REST response

XML

Markup format

YAML

Human-readable

CSV

Tabular export

Beta

GraphQL

Query language

New

MCP

For AI agents

Request parameters — POST /v1/urlunshortener

Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.

Required

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curl -X POST "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/urlunshortener" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url":"https://bit.ly/3k3j4"}'

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.

Response — POST /v1/urlunshortener

Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.

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{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "source": "https://bit.ly/3k3j4",
    "destination": "http://www.allclimbing.com/archive/2009/09/climbing-video-alex-puccio-on-trice-v12/",
    "unshortened": true,
    "redirectCount": 1,
    "destinationDomain": "www.allclimbing.com",
    "redirectChain": [
      "https://bit.ly/3k3j4",
      "http://www.allclimbing.com/archive/2009/09/climbing-video-alex-puccio-on-trice-v12/"
    ]
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Response headers

Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.

What a call costs — 10 credits per call

Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.

Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Drop an interactive URL Unshortener form onto any page. The widget calls the API for you, so no key ever appears in your markup and there is nothing to deploy.

Changelog — URL Unshortener API

Every change to this endpoint, newest first. Breaking changes ship as a new version and the previous one keeps serving — response fields are added, never removed or retyped in place, so an integration written against v1 keeps working.

Currently v1Data refreshed realtime