Say Goodbye to Third-Party URL Shorteners: Introducing VanityURLs
For years, URL shortening services like bit.ly, goo.gl, and tinyurl have been go-to tools for anyone needing to share compact links. These services were free and convenient — but the landscape is changing, and not for the better.
The Problem with Relying on Third-Party Services
In January 2024, Bitly — the leading URL shortener since 2008 — made a significant change: accounts created after 2018 were suddenly limited to just 10 links per month. For those who had relied on the previous limit of 10,000 free links per month, this was a major blow.
But Bitly isn’t the only service to disappoint. Goo.gl was deprecated in 2019, and in July 2024 Google announced all goo.gl links will stop working on August 25, 2025. A subset of the internet’s links could break overnight.
These changes highlight a critical issue: we’ve been relying on free services from third-party vendors who have no obligation to provide reliable, long-term solutions.
Introducing VanityURLs: Your Own URL Shortening Service
Enter VanityURLs — also known as v8s — an open-source URL shortener that puts you in control. With v8s, you don’t rely on a third-party provider. Instead, you bring your links with you, hosted on your own domain. Here’s how it works:
- Buy a domain — any short domain you like
- Host a redirect file — a plain-text file with your short link mappings in a GitHub repository
- Connect via Cloudflare Pages — a free serverless platform that processes redirects at the edge
That’s it. You now have a fully functional URL shortening service that you control. No more worrying about policy changes, deprecation, or broken links.
v8s is not a new vendor that will host your links. It is a set of instructions for combining a list of redirects, your existing domain, and Cloudflare Pages. Your links are always yours. You can even migrate them to a new domain if you want.
Why VanityURLs?
With so many free URL shortening providers out there — Bitly, Rebrandly, Dub, TinyURL, BL.INK, Short.io, T.ly, Cutt.ly, and more — you might wonder why you should switch to v8s.
The answer is simple: control and reliability. v8s ensures that your links remain intact and functional, no matter what changes happen in the world of third-party services. You own your domain. You own your redirect file. You own your links.
Getting Started
Setting up v8s is straightforward, and we provide scripts to automate the process.
Don’t let your links fall victim to the whims of third-party providers. Take control with v8s.