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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clew is a small URL shortener with a JSON API: send a destination to /api/links to receive a short URL, then Clew redirects visitors and records their clicks. The description by Cole Godfrey, published on DEV Community on September 29, 2026, outlines its request flow, stored click data, authentication boundary, and single-instance SQLite deployment.
How Clew creates and serves a short link
- Create: A client submits a destination to
/api/linksand receives a short URL. Create requests require an API key; the description does not specify how that key is sent. - Visit: A visitor follows the short URL. Clew responds with an HTTP 302 redirect to the destination and records the visit.
Redirects are public, while requests to create links and view stats require an API key. The description does not identify additional endpoints or provide the API schema.
What click data Clew keeps
For each link, Clew keeps an overall click total and the newest 20 click timestamps. A HEAD request checks the destination without adding a click. The description does not say whether older timestamps are discarded or stored elsewhere, so the stated limit applies to the timestamps it keeps, not necessarily to all underlying event history.
How the SQLite write is described
Godfrey says each redirect starts a SQLite BEGIN IMMEDIATE transaction before updating the count and storing the click time. This is an implementation detail in the article, not an independently verified test or a guarantee of unlimited concurrent writes. The article reports no request-rate, latency, availability, or concurrency measurements.
#1 Best Overall
Deployment and technology
The article identifies Python, FastAPI, and SQLite, and describes deployment as one app instance backed by a persistent SQLite file. It says the repository contains local setup and Docker instructions and that API documentation is online. Those materials’ current contents and version details are not established by the article description.
That deployment description matters when assessing fit: the published account is for a single app instance, not evidence of a multi-instance setup or a tested production capacity. It does not report licensing, pricing, or a specific hosting provider.
Rank #2
What the published description establishes
Clew’s described scope is straightforward: create a short link through a JSON API, redirect visitors, and keep a total plus recent click timestamps. The available description does not establish performance, operational guarantees, or implementation details beyond those stated above.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #3
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