The URL Expander API resolves shortened or redirected URLs to their final destination. It’s designed for privacy-focused applications — by expanding URLs server-side, you can strip out tracking redirects and reveal where links actually lead.
The API also includes a lightweight proxy endpoint for previewing links in client-side apps that would otherwise hit CORS restrictions. Note: This proxy is intended for development and controlled environments only. Avoid using it in production unless you fully trust the upstream content.
Lnky’s front-end uses this mechanism to safely preview links through the /proxy endpoint.
See Lnky for reference.
Resolves the final destination of a shortened link.
GET
https://lnky.api.stanleymasinde.com?url=<short_url>
Example:
curl -L "https://lnky.api.stanleymasinde.com?url=https://rb.gy/4wqwzf"This can be used to bypass CORs. I use it in Lnky to show SEO previews. One could also use it to temporarily bypass CORs.
Fetches the raw content from a target URL, allowing front-end previews during development.
GET
https://lnky.api.stanleymasinde.com/proxy?url=<target_url>
Example:
curl -L "https://lnky.api.stanleymasinde.com/proxy?url=https://stanleymasinde.com"The API returns:
- Plain text containing the final expanded URL, or
- Raw HTML when using
/proxy.
It does not return JSON or any structured metadat unless the procied endpoint is structured.
This service is deployed as part of Lnky, a privacy-focused link untracker and expander written in Rust. It powers Lnky’s backend expansion logic for services like Bitly and t.co.