Getting Started

Welcome to lnkify — an open-source URL shortener that puts you in control. This guide walks you through everything you can do with the lnkify web application, from creating your first shortlink to analyzing click data and managing API keys.

What You'll Learn

In this guide, you'll learn how to:

• Sign up for an account and log in
• Create, edit, and manage shortlinks
• Use bulk operations for handling many links at once
• View click analytics with geographic and device data
• Create and revoke API keys for programmatic access
• Manage your profile and account settings

Prerequisites

To follow this guide, you need:

• A modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
• An account on a running lnkify instance
• The URL of your lnkify instance (e.g. https://lnkify.example.com)

If you don't have a running instance yet, refer to the Self-Hosting guide to deploy one.

Sign Up for an Account

1. Navigate to your lnkify instance in your browser
2. Click Get Started or navigate to /auth/signup
3. Fill in the registration form:
   • Name — your display name
   • Email — a valid email address
   • Password — choose a strong password (at least 8 characters)
4. Click Sign Up
5. You'll be automatically logged in and redirected to the Dashboard

Log In to Your Account

1. Go to your lnkify instance or navigate to /auth
2. Enter your email and password
3. Click Log In
4. You'll be taken to the dashboard

Create Your First Shortlink (5-Minute Walkthrough)

Let's create your first shortlink right now:

1. Go to the dashboard — you should already be there after logging in. The Links screen (/) is the dashboard home.

2. Click the Create button — look for the Create or New Link button at the top of the page.

3. Enter a destination URL — in the form that opens, paste or type the long URL you want to shorten. For example: https://example.com/a-very-long-url-that-needs-shortening.

4. Set a custom slug (optional) — the "slug" is the short part of the link (e.g. the abc123 in lnkify.io/abc123). You can type your own custom slug, or leave it blank to have lnkify generate a random one for you.

   • Slugs can contain letters, numbers, and hyphens
   • No spaces or special characters
   • Must be unique — you'll see an error if your chosen slug is already taken

5. Add a title (optional) — give your shortlink a descriptive title for your own reference. This appears in your dashboard list but is not visible to people who click the link.

6. Toggle tracking — click tracking is enabled by default. When on, lnkify records every click with geographic and device data. Toggle it off if you don't need analytics for this link.

7. Click Create — your shortlink is created instantly.

8. Copy your new shortlink — click the Copy icon next to your new link in the dashboard. It will look something like lnkify.io/abc123.

9. Share it! — paste the shortlink wherever you need it: social media, emails, documents, QR codes.

Congratulations!

You just created your first shortlink. Every time someone clicks it, they'll be redirected to your destination URL — and you'll see the click data in your analytics.

Dashboard Tour

Your Dashboard is the central management page. Here's what you'll see:

• Header — the create/new link button, search bar, and profile menu
• Links table — a list of all your shortlinks showing the slug, target URL, title, click count, and creation date
• Action buttons — each link has edit (pencil icon), copy, and delete (trash icon) buttons
• Selection checkboxes — for bulk operations, you can select multiple links
• Bulk action bar — appears when you select links, letting you update or delete them in batch

Navigation

The dashboard is served at the root of the app host, and the sidebar gives you access to each screen:

Screen	Path	Purpose
Links	/	Manage your shortlinks (dashboard home)
Analytics	/analytics	Click analytics across your links
Bulk ops	/bulk	Create/update/delete links in batch
Domains	/domains	Custom domains for your links
Link-in-bio	/bio	Bio pages
Webhooks	/webhooks	Outbound event webhooks
API Keys	/api-keys	Programmatic access keys
MCP	/mcp	Connect AI agents via the MCP server
Billing	/billing	Plan and usage
Settings	/settings	Account info, password, account deletion

The login and signup pages live at /auth and /auth/signup.

Next Steps

Now that you're up and running, learn how to manage your account in the next section.

Next: Accounts