# Short Link

> A shortened URL that redirects through an intermediary server to a longer destination URL, often used to cloak or tidy affiliate links.

A **short link** is a shortened URL that redirects through an intermediary server to a longer destination, often used to cloak or tidy affiliate links — for example links produced by Pretty Links, ThirstyAffiliates, or a URL shortener. Because the visitor passes through a redirect, a short link is a redirect mechanism, not a tracking system in itself.

## How AnyTrack handles short links

AnyTrack works with link-shortener and redirect plugins: [AutoScan](/docs/autoscan) resolves a redirected link to its final destination and [AutoTag](/docs/autotag) appends the correct SubID and [Click ID](/glossary/click-id), so attribution still flows. For paid traffic, however, AnyTrack recommends [redirectless tracking](/docs/redirectless-tracking) over short links, because short links share the redirect's exposure to ad-platform cloaking checks and browser blocking.

## Short Link vs Redirect-Based Tracking

- [Redirect-Based Tracking](/glossary/redirect-based-tracking) — a short link is a single redirecting URL; redirect-based tracking is the whole attribution method built on redirects.