We currently offer a simple Application Programming Interface (API) for your use, free of charge. A more powerful API is also being developed.
Our 'Basic API' requires authentication and will simply shorten a long URL, while our 'Advanced API' will shorten a long URL plus handle your requests for customized short URLs, passwords to be added to short URLs, short URL comment tagging and much more.
Using our 'Advanced API', you can also choose whether to have detailed results provided upon shortening your long URL or just have the short URL. The detailed results include the amount of characters in the long URL, the amount of characters in the short URL, the amount of charaters the long URL was shortend by, whether someone has already shortend your long URL in the past and much, much more.
The use of our APIs are subject to your compliance with our Terms & Conditions of Use
Basic API - Instructions for use:
Our 'Basic API' is accessed via simple HTTP GET requests.
Send your HTTP GET request to our API service, along with your API key and your long url and we will instantly supply you with a short URL. Your HTTP GET needs to include both 'key=' and 'url=' for us to be able to process your request.
Supplying:
http://api.fwd4.me/?key=<insert-your-api-key-here>&url=http://www.twitter.com/Fwd4Me
Will return:
http://fwd4.me/tn
Your short URLs will now appear in your profile page where you can view stats for them.
If for any reason we are unable to shorten your long URL, you will be presented with the following result:
ERROR:x
Where 'x' will be a number relating to the error code in question. Rather than supplying error messages, our 'Basic API' supplies error numbers instead. This is to allow you to customize your own error messages based on our error number for better integration in to your own web site or application.
Error numbers from our 'Basic API' can be translated as:
ERROR:1 - An invalid long URL was supplied. Ensure your long URL starts with either http:// or https:// and ensure that your long url doesn't contain any foreign characters.
ERROR:2 - An invalid API Key has been supplied. Check your API Key and try again.
ERROR:3 - Based on your API Key, your account has either been suspended or revoked - please contact us to discuss this further.
ERROR:4 - Long URL is black listed - unable to shorten URL.
ERROR:5 - Internal System Error - unable to shorten URL.
Advanced API - Instructions for use:
We are still developing our 'Advanced API' at the moment and we hope to have it live during 2012
The use of our API is subject to your compliance with our Terms & Conditions of Use
If you have any questions or comments regarding this API, please
get in touch.
