Lix.li Blog
Explore articles on URL shortening, QR codes, click analytics, REST API, SDKs, UTM parameters, and marketing automation. Practical guides for developers, marketers, and businesses.
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Technology
What Is a Domain? A Plain-English Explanation
A plain-English explanation of what a domain is: the parts an address is made of, the difference between country and generic extensions, what you actually buy when you register, what the A, CNAME, TXT and NS records do, why edits in the wrong panel have no effect, what "domain connected" really means, and how to pick a domain for short links.
REST API
Best API-Based URL Shortener for Developers: How to Choose
A guide to choosing a URL shortener API: six criteria, each of which can be checked before you integrate. Limits, pricing and capabilities compared against Bitly's plans, authentication methods in light of RFC 9700, a method for measuring latency yourself, and Lix.li's published limits including custom ones on request.
Guides
How to Shorten Many Links at Once: File, Limits and Failed Rows
A practical guide to preparing a list of links for bulk shortening: what file the uploader accepts, how to give different links different UTM parameters, how many rows go in one upload, and how to read the report when some rows don't get created.
REST API
API Key vs OAuth: How They Differ and Which to Choose
A comparison of two ways to authenticate an API: what a key gives you, what OAuth gives you, and the single question that decides between them. Plus which OAuth flows RFC 9700 deprecated, and why revoking an API key usually takes effect with a delay.
Guides
What Is OpenAPI: the Specification, Swagger and Versions 3.0–3.2
A walk through the OpenAPI format: the required fields of a document, the difference between OpenAPI and Swagger, and what changed in 3.1 and 3.2. Plus the part most introductions skip — nothing connects the specification to the code, how drift shows up in both directions, and the test that catches it.
SEO
301, 302, 307, 308: Which Redirect Preserves the Request Method
A practical breakdown of redirects 301, 302, 303, 307 and 308: which preserve the request method, why permanent codes are nearly impossible to roll back, where this breaks APIs and webhooks, and which code to choose in each case.
SEO
Do Short Links Pass Link Equity?
An examination of link equity through short links: why the redirect loses nothing, why there was nothing to lose on social platforms, three genuine risks of shortening, and an open question about nofollow in the HTTP header.
SEO
rel=canonical: The Complete Guide and Common Mistakes
A practical guide to rel=canonical: syntax, what the tag does and does not solve, a decision table covering canonical, 301, 302 and noindex, pairing it with hreflang across 21 languages, common mistakes, and the short-link question.
Technology
The Median Short Link Is Clicked From 12 Countries
A study of the geography of 723,758 short links: how many countries the median link reaches, what share of links are genuinely local, how much traffic the leading country supplies, and why this explains the flat daily click curve.
Technology
"Best Time to Post" Is a Myth: 724 Million Clicks Analysed
A study of 723,783,029 redirects across 6,768,413 links: how clicks distribute by hour and by day of week, why the creation curve is sharp while the click curve is flat, and what that means for scheduling.
The Lix.li Blog features articles about URL shortening, QR codes, click analytics, REST API, SDKs, custom domains, UTM parameters, and marketing automation. We publish practical guides, integration examples, and best practices for getting the most out of the platform.